The Dragon, the Wolf and the Hunter
by Claret Tho
Summary: As Selena settles into her new life with Jake by her side and most of the Lycanthromorphic community, things seem to be going well. She should've known the peace couldn't last! Established relationship between Jake/OC. This is a sequel, please go to my profile and read 'The Dragon and the Wolf' first please! Rated K for the occasional cussing and violence.
1. Prologue

_Soooo, as I mentioned in the blurby bit where I advertise (is that the right word?) my story to you, that this is in fact a sequel. Please, if you would, go onto my profile and firstly read 'The Dragon and the Wolf'. This story will make lots more sense then. _

_I should probably disclaim too now; I don't own American Dragon or the characters associated with it. I own Selena and a few others but that's it._

XxXxX

'This situation is getting out of hand; you need to let me contact him!' A young female voice said

'She's right. The longer we leave this, the more damage will be done' A male spoke

The two younger people stood in front of an older male. He sat looking at them both thoughtfully. He looked up at the young female.

'And you think you can get him to help?'

'I used to know him very well, I'll think of something' She replied

'And what of his Lycanthromorphic girlfriend, we need her too' He reminded her.

'Like I said' The young female took a step forwards into the light. She was tall, well toned but slender. Her hair was pale blonde, tied back in a braid and her eyes were bright baby blue 'I'm sure I'll think of something'

'I hope you're right, we'll need all the help we can get' The older male replied 'Go, go to New York and find the American Dragon'

Rose gave a short nod 'I'll start right away'


	2. Chapter 1 A Visitor

Jake and I had been together for nearly two months now. Summer was long over and Fall was here. I spent some nights working but I'd worked solidly for four months and managed to get my qualifications. I wasn't too keen on getting a job with limited flexibility though, I'd found the need to make myself available for if Jake needed any help. So instead I'd decided that I'd go to college next year or get some kind of training job.

Jake was well and truly involved in his role as the American Dragon now. Lao Shi was starting to wind down and he seemed to want to relax. He'd told me and Jake that he felt he was reaching his twilight years now and Jake was well old enough and ready to be taking over a bit more.

Spud had managed to get himself an electrician apprenticeship and Trixie was working with a fashion magazine as an intern. They were far more involved in Jake's work than I was but I was keeping my promise of staying out of it.

I'd managed to accidentally get involved one time. Jake had moved into the apartment above the shop so he could keep an eye on his headquarters but I'd gone there one time after I'd done with work to wait for him like we'd arranged and a troll got in. It was smaller than an ogre but it still managed to give me some grief. I took it down by locking it into the shop and finding a sedative potion in the back room and throwing it in its face. The new door had worked wonders.

Jake had been furious with me but quickly realised I hadn't had much other choice. It had been defend myself or get pummelled. This had been my reasoning to Jake as he picked bits of broken glass out of my back. I'd accidentally toppled a vase to the floor and then received a kick to the gut from said troll and landed all over the shards of crystal. Nice.

Emily was due to go to England for a month with Nicky to see her Dad but before then I was due to visit the Sanctuary with Jake. At first our relationship was met with a bit of negativity but the Dragon council managed to turn it into a tool to help them gain peace with the Lycanthropics. I was excited for Jake to be welcomed into my second home. We were going to detour through Silverwood Falls and get Shai and Bardo to come with us too.

We were due to leave in a week and I was at Jake's apartment picking up some things I'd left there to take home. Jake was out on his dragon duties, Trixie and Spud were on a date together so it was just me. Jake had given me a spare key a few days ago and today was the first time I'd used it but I'd still asked beforehand if he was okay with it. He'd laughed and said it was why he'd given it to me. I was actually just about to leave when there was a knock on the backdoor of the shop.

I dumped my bag down and weighed up my options. I couldn't just ignore it because I would have to leave through that door and lock it up. This was a peaceful place right? Anyone who wanted to attack wouldn't knock surely. I pulled out my phone, unlocking it ready to get Jake's number on speed dial in case it was someone who wanted to attack.

I went to the backdoor, cursing Lao Shi for not putting a peep hole into it and I opened it. I was surprised to see a very normal looking couple stood on the door step. She wore skinny black jeans, a pale pink top and a biker style leather jacket. She had pale blonde hair, equally pale skin and baby blue eyes. She was with a tall boy who was quite built with grey eyes and copper hair. I looked between them both.

'Hi?' I asked

'Hi, I'm after the American Dragon. Is he here?' The girl asked

'He's not here at the moment' I replied

'That's okay; can you give him this card?' She dug into her pocket and pulled out a small business like card and handed it to me 'And tell him to call the number and ask for Rose'

My eyes widened slightly, Rose? Surely this couldn't be the girl from Hong Kong? I nodded awkwardly.

'Sure' I replied, hesitantly.

'Great, have a nice evening' She smiled

With that they walked off. I shut the door. My heart was pounding and I leaned back on the wall, I looked down at the card. _Magical Investigative Service_. If they were looking for Jake and this was genuine then I couldn't just throw the card away and forget this happened.

I moved into the front of the shop simply sat on the couch in my own world. It was late into the night before I heard the back door open. I stayed frozen, watching the doorway and Jake pushed the door open. He looked like he'd managed to get into a fight this evening because he looked all clammy and rumpled. He jumped when he saw me, moving into a fighting stance before realising it was me.

'Jeeze Lee, didn't think you'd still be here-hey, what's up?' He asked

I stood up, staring at him and he raised an eyebrow. He lifted his hand to his face and wiped over it.

'What's wrong?' He asked 'Do I have something on my face?'

'Here' I said, I pushed the card into his hand.

He looked at it, smoothing his hair off his forehead where I noticed he had a cut. I shook my head and went off into the back room again to look for the first aid kit. Once I found it I went back into the room to see him sat down on the sofa.

'What's this?' He asked

'Well, a girl and a boy gave it to me. They asked me to give it to you' I replied 'They want you to call back, when you do the girl asked for you to ask for Rose'

He stiffened and looked up at me. I nodded and sat next to him.

'Yeah' I simply said.

'What did she look like?' Jake asked

'She had blonde hair, paler than mine, pale skin, blue eyes. Tall, slim' I replied

'There's no way to know until I see her but it sounds like her' Jake said

I nodded, feeling tense. Jake reached over and put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to him. I nestled underneath his neck, wrapping one arm around his middle.

'No matter what she wants, I'm with you now. You're my concern. I'll phone her tomorrow and find out what she wants. I've not forgotten that we're off to see your family next week' He said 'I won't break those plans'

I smiled and lifted my head; he bent his head down and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. I had to leave soon after and as I walked home I found myself wondering what on earth this Rose wanted.

XxXxX

As Jake made moves to settle down, he was wondering what he should do. He inspected the card, this was an organization he was aware of but it was fairly new. He also knew some of the newly freed Lycanthropics had used it to locate family members they'd left.

He looked up at the clock, it was too late to call Grandpa and ask for advice. He'd have to make sure he called him first before doing anything. Not that he wouldn't be pleased to see Rose; but he was hoping it wasn't over personal things. He'd even be hesitant to do anything in a professional manner. His relationship with Selena was still relatively new and though they were both committed, he wasn't going to let anything get in the way.

XxXxX

The next morning was my day off work. Nicky was already in having his morning cuddle, a thing Snow was also getting involved in these days. Thankfully I'd managed to get some help from Emily and we'd saved up and bought me a double bed. I was dozing slightly before my phone buzzed. I picked it up and seeing the caller I.D was Jake, I answered.

'Hello?' I coughed, my voice was still a bit scrappy from sleep.

'_Hi, did I wake you up?_' Jake asked

'No, I was dozing'

'Is it Jakey?' Nicky mumbled

'Yeah honey, it's Jake' I replied

I pushed back the covers and got up, tucking Nicky back in again and leaving the room.

'What's up?' I asked as soon as I was out of his hearing range.

'_I thought I should tell you. It was Rose you saw last night. I called the number and she picked up. She's coming over with her partner later to talk about something. But she asked if you could be there_' Jake told me hesitantly

I tensed, what on earth could they possibly need with me?

'Did you say I don't get involved with your stuff?' I asked

'_Yeah but she said you'd be interested in this_'

I raised my eyebrow and sighed 'Okay, I'll be right over'

'_Sorry Lee, I wouldn't involve you if I didn't think it was right. To be honest even if I don't think you should be involved I would've wanted you there anyway. I want her to know I've moved on now_'

I nodded 'Okay, whatever you think is best. Give me half an hour and I'll be there'

'_See you soon, love you_'

'Love you too' I replied

The line cut off and I lowered my phone. Emily made me jump when she walked past.

'Everything alright?' She asked

'Yeah fine, looks like I might be helping Jake with some dragon stuff today' I replied

Emily frowned 'Really, I thought he didn't want you getting into that stuff'

'Me too. I'll tell you about it later, I'd best get ready' I replied

I showered, dried my hair and put a light amount of makeup on. I stood in front of my wardrobe, wondering what to wear. I decided on my baggier jeans and a black jumper. I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard but I didn't want to look like a tired slob like I had last night. I'd been wearing my work uniform and everything, I cringed.

I headed out soon after, pulling my scarf up and burying my hands in my pockets. I'd decided to leave Snow at home. She usually went with me when I went to the shop during the day but I'd decided today wasn't appropriate. Only the promise of a good walk in the park had satisfied her.

It didn't take me too long to get to the shop, Jake was there. He was trying to tidy up a bit. He put down the brush he was using to sweep and wrapped his arms around me. I smiled into his shoulder before pulling back.

'Anything I can do?' I asked

'Do you mind cleaning up the sink upstairs? I hate to admit but I've still not washed up my mugs yet' He said sheepishly

'Gross Jake' I laughed 'There must be mugs about a week old in there'

'What can I say, I need a woman around' He grinned playfully

I stopped 'What do you mean? I am around'

He coughed 'I meant living here...with me'

I frowned and he scratched the back of his head.

'I didn't mean right now, in the future though' He replied

I thought that through and came up with a decent idea 'How about when Emily goes away with Nicky you come and live with me then? I suppose we'd be able to see how it would be'

He smiled 'That's a great idea; it's not far from here. I'd be able to meet Fu Dog here for dragon duties in no time'

I smiled 'I'll go wash those mugs now'

He nodded and went back to sweeping. I went upstairs to wash the mugs and I was about half done when I was aware that people had arrived. I wasn't sure when Rose was due so I stopped and listened. I realised it was Trixie and Spud was probably with her but she was making so much noise I couldn't tell. I laughed to myself and went back to washing. She then decided to come up the stairs and greet me.

'Hey there Lee, how's it going?' She asked

I wiped off my hands to hug her 'It's great thanks, did Jake invite you?'

'Yeah, he told us what happened. He asked us to come but we're going to leave before she gets here' She replied

I nodded and went back to washing 'He probably doesn't want to overwhelm her. She hasn't seen you guys in years either'

'Yeah, hey do you want me to give you a hand with those?' She asked

'I'd appreciate it if you dried them, thanks' I replied with a smile

She obliged and picked up a towel and started to dry the mugs off for me 'I think he's nervous'

'I know but I would be too'

'Do you have a previous guy?' Trixie asked curiously

'When I was younger, back in California. It didn't last long though, I was young it was meaningless and also the wolf thing made it a bit difficult' I said 'I was still highly sensitive towards things and it sounds silly but he used to use aftershave and I hated the smell of it. It used to burn my nose'

Trixie pulled a face 'I'm not keen on that stuff either but I bet it was worse for you'

I grinned 'I was fourteen, it went on for about two weeks'

She gave a grin back 'Did you kiss him?' I raised an eyebrow playfully and she laughed 'Oh come on girl! You can tell me'

'Yeah, once. I imagine kissing a wet sponge would be an apt comparison' I laughed

Trixie laughed with me and we finished up drying the mugs off. I was tense though, my own nerves about meeting Rose coming in slightly. I tried to hide it but ever observant, Trixie still noticed it.

'Relax, you have nothing to worry about' She told me

I frowned 'I don't get how the hell she knows about me'

'Please, you know how famous Jake is in the magical community? There's been articles in magic magazines about you two running like wildfire. They're calming down now though, they only seem to write about you both if Jake's done something heroic or you go out looking stunning' She pulled one out of her bag on the kitchen table 'Here, this one's the latest'

I looked at the article; I was horrified to see it was pictures of us the last time we went out. We were walking with Snow. The actual article was slightly mortifying, they were analysing my clothes, the way I was wearing my hair and even how well groomed Snow was. I was slightly relieved to see that they seemed to be writing positively about me though. When I turned the page however, I clapped my hand over my mouth. It was a picture of me and Jake kissing.

'What is this?' I asked

'You were in a magical community market. There's no hiding from them there' She replied sympathetically 'I'm sorry, I thought Jake would've made you aware in case you came across an article yourself'

I put the magazine down slightly shakily 'No, don't apologize. It's not your fault'

We finished tidying the mugs away and went back downstairs. Trixie and Spud hung around for a bit until there was a knock on the backdoor. They left quietly through the front door and Jake went and answered the back door. I heard a brief greeting before Jake came back in. He immediately went to my side and put his hand on my shoulder.

Rose came inside, she was dressed in the same clothes she had been wearing last night but her hair was half tied back and half loose. Her eyes widened when she saw me though.

'I met you last night!' She said

'Yeah' I answered, slightly nervous.

'I didn't realise it was you'

She crossed the room and held out her hand to me. I shook it hesitantly before she looked past me at Jake, her eyes flicking to his hand on my shoulder. Jake however cleared his throat and indicated to the boy she was with.

'Who's he?' He asked, not rudely but pointedly.

'This is my partner, Danny. We've been working together on the cases' She said

'Why do you need my help, more specifically our help?' Jake asked

Rose's cheerful face faltered and she sighed 'We've been dealing with a lot of cases lately, more specifically, Lycanthropic cases'

I frowned 'What?'

'We've been helping members of your Sanctuary find lost loved ones' Danny told us

I looked around at Jake 'Did you know about this?'

'I was aware of it but your father made it clear he's been over seeing it' Jake replied

'Well, so far we've been dealing with Lycanthropics coming out and looking for people. This is different though, we've noticed an increase in the amount of new Lycanthropics being created' Rose explained

She put a briefcase on the coffee table and opened it up. She pulled out a few papers.

'We think it might be to do with the new freedom being given' Danny said

I frowned 'But, Lycanthropics are very well monitored still. My father and his second created a highly efficient team to track down new Lycanthropics and old ones who aren't complying with our new laws'

'Well my question is this; how is this happening?' Rose said

I tensed 'I don't know'

'I wasn't aware of this either, the dragon council have been keeping a very watchful eye on this. If this amount of new Lycanthropics were being created then they would've intervened' Jake said

'My father has been very strict too. He's been the one authorising new tags, the dragon council even trained some of the resident Lycanthropics to fit them' I supplied

Rose and Danny exchanged a glance.

'We were wondering if we could see your father to talk about this' Danny asked

I frowned 'No'

'But-'

'No! Do you have any idea about what's going on there? There are major renovations happening! Besides, no outsiders are allowed inside, the only exception have been the dragons but they were watched and guarded. At the moment they don't have the resources to watch people. Visits are on lockdown' I said firmly

Rose's face fell but her partner looked determined 'We're not asking to be guarded, we can handle ourselves'

'It's not for protection' I retorted

'You can't just turn us away! This is serious!'

'And I can't just let you in. I'm not their leader, it's up to a body of councillors to approve visits so not even just my father can give you permission'

'Can't you talk to them?' Rose asked

'No. Our society is governed by a strict hierarchy and I'm not in any influential position, last time I proposed something it was met with laughter. I had to back down and leave it up to my father and he's not accepting visitors'

Danny marched over and thrust the figures of missing people and new Lycanthropics right into my face. Jake wrapped and arm around me and stuck his other arm out protectively.

'So you're just going to ignore this?! How can you live with yourself?!' He spat

'Danny! This won't solve anything' Rose said, pulling his arm.

He backed off, Jake didn't relax though. He stepped around me and stood in front of me.

'You won't get anything from us acting like that' Jake said, his voice dangerously low 'No matter what Selena just said, I say no'

Danny turned his back and stormed right out of the shop. Rose gazed after him anxiously before looking back at me. She then packed her papers away and looked around at us sadly.

'Just, think about it please. If we can't do something, then this is going to get much worse' She said. She left herself after that.

The shop went very quiet.


	3. Chapter 2 Ponderments and an Ambush

I stayed at Jake's that night after continuing my day as normally as possible. I felt so completely torn, I couldn't ignore the sudden rise in new Lycanthropics but it wasn't like I could go around accusing my father of negligence. Rose had either missed packing away the two figure sheets or left them behind on purpose. I wasn't sure which it was but I found myself sat on the couch staring at the one with the names and ages of missing people.

Jake came down from the kitchen and pulled it out of my hands, replacing it with a mug of tea. He settled next to me on the couch and I could see he was watching me from the corner of my eye.

'Quit staring' I said eventually

He looked down at his own mug 'I'm just worried. I'm annoyed too'

'At me?' I asked, looking around at him.

'No! Of course not, you did the right thing. That Danny for acting aggressively towards you like that. He's lucky I didn't fry him to a crisp' He growled

'I could've mauled him you know. I'm not contagious'

Jake chuckled before going serious again 'I know it's difficult, but you're right. We can't help them with this. I've been learning about Lycanthropics now we have accurate facts. I know you weren't lying about a strict social structure and that you can't just go in there with strangers and start spouting off about a rise in new Lycanthropics'

'I can't understand it. I'm sure that if this were true the dragons would've stepped in by now' I said, furrowing my eyebrows.

'I was suspicious too. I've not heard anything about this and this is specifically happening in America, in my territory. If people are at risk I was supposed to be told' Jake replied

'I want to know where they got these figures from' I said, looking at the sheets left abandoned on the coffee table.

We sat silently, me sipping my tea while Jake drank coffee. Hayley and Sun were out on dragon watch tonight as I'd started calling it so Jake had the night off today. Very recently they'd begun dividing the nights equally so Hayley could get her training done in the field where Jake had learnt.

'How about I order in food tonight?' Jake asked, bringing my attention back to him.

'But there's plenty of food in the fridge' I pointed out

'I know, I didn't know if you felt like cooking though' He shrugged 'You were out ages with Snow and it was a stressful morning'

'I promised her a big walk for not bringing her. It was a good thing I didn't bring her along too. Even though neither of us did anything to Danny, she wouldn't have ignored that' I replied, cocking an eyebrow.

'That dog is awesome' Jake said happily.

Over the last two months they'd made friends. It had taken Jake awhile to earn her trust but they were firm friends now. Seeing as we'd gone through two full moons since we'd been together and Jake had guarded us while I'd fulfilled my urge to transform, it had won Snow over. Other than that, I'd kept transformations to a minimum. Even though I'd been given freedom, I didn't want to abuse it.

'It's full moon in three days' Jake said quietly

I sighed 'If their figures are correct there'll be another new wave'

'I'm not fully believing these. They just don't add up' Jake replied 'According to this by next year, everyone in America will be Lycanthropic, save for the magical in hiding which are immune'

'Lao Shi told me that all magical creatures are immune to Lycanthropy. It's just humans who aren't' I supplied

'That's true; of course Lycanthropics which aren't like you could still kill anyone in a frenzy, magic or not'

'That's another thing. There's no death figure here. A lot of humans don't survive an attack because they can be so brutal, it's not about biting as many as possible. Like you say, it's frenzied and if they attack, it's to kill. That's why we aren't already overrunning the place' I said 'Also, if they survive the actual attack, half don't even survive their first transformation'

'I didn't think about that but you're right, there would be a far higher death rate to go with this' Jake said 'Plus the magical being that might accidentally get in the way and we're talking about a whole different facts sheet'

'If we were to cross reference this, the figures of dead would be up into the hundreds by now and it's only been two months' I said

'This just isn't adding up' Jake scratched his head, ruffling his hair.

'I'll still ask my Dad if he knows anything about this' I told him

Jake looked at me carefully 'Are you sure?'

'I'll use discretion, my Dad won't mind me asking him about this' I decided

After ordering in food and trying to relax a bit we went to bed. Usually I went to sleep quickly and Jake stayed awake a bit but as I laid on my back and listened to him snore softly I found my thoughts swirling through my head. I couldn't sleep at all. I sighed and folded the covers back carefully, I was just about to get out of the bed when Jake's arm stuck out and wrapped around my waist.

'Where are you going?' He mumbled sleepily

'I was going to get some air' I replied

I saw him lift his head slightly in the dim light; his black hair was ruffled from sleep and he looked so cute sleepy. He was looking at me though between blinking sleep from his eyes.

'What's wrong?' He asked, his voice slightly clearer this time

I sighed and laid back down. Jake pushed the covers back over me and shifted so his head was on my pillow and he could wrap his arm around me tighter. I wasn't looking at him but I knew he was looking at me, waiting for me to answer him.

'I can't sleep' I told him eventually

'Obviously. I meant why?' Jake muttered, but his voice was light.

'I'm thinking too much, can't seem to get my head to clear' I replied 'I was thinking about what would happen to my kind if these reports are true'

Jake went silent for a moment before answering 'You mean you're worried the Dragons will revoke the new freedoms?'

'Yes. We were just starting to come back to the light, I'm not sure what will happen to us if we get thrown back underground again. Existing secretly and in fear'

I lifted my hand to my head, trying to cover my sudden distress. Jake rolled to lean over me, taking my hand from my face and holding it, rubbing his thumb soothingly over the back.

'Hey' He said gently and I looked up at him 'That won't happen; the dragons want peace between our species. The Lycanthropics have followed every protocol set down'

'But what if-'

'This sounds awful of me to say this but whenever Rose has been involved with things in the past; there has always been an underlying note of self-gain. She wants something and she needs us to get it. I don't know what she wants and for the moment I don't have any intentions of finding out'

I sighed, my breath unsteady 'Maybe she wants you'

Jake scoffed 'Well I want you so she's not getting me'

I smiled to myself and Jake leaned down, planting soft kisses on my lips. He only stopped to lean his forehead on mine. His hair tickled my face but I ignored it, simply enjoying our closeness.

'I love you' I heard him say

'I love you more' I replied playfully

He leaned back and gave me a crooked smile 'Don't start that game Lee'

He laid back down and snuggled himself into not only my pillow but all my personal space. I shook my head slightly and settled down myself, finally drifting off to sleep.

XxXxX

'Okay Selena, I've held this off but I think it's time'

'Time for what?' I asked

Emily raised her eyebrow and sipped her coffee before looking around me carefully. I looked around too, Snow and Nicky were sat cuddled in the living room watching tv. I looked back at Emily and she was looking at me again.

'I think it's time we had the talk'

I spat my mouthful of orange juice everywhere, spluttering. Emily handed me a towel with a smirk.

'Excuse me?' I asked once I'd mopped my mess up.

'Look, you've been with Jake for awhile now and you both seem pretty committed. It's only right that things progress on a physical level when you love someone' Emily said 'You've been staying nights with him'

'You don't need to-'

'Yes I do Selena. Mum isn't here to do this and Wheylyn, as lovely as he is, doesn't seem the type to sit you down and do this, so I do' Emily said firmly

'Emily, Jake and I haven't done anything' I told her

'That's good, then all the more reason to talk to you' Emily said

'I know all about condoms so you don't have to-'

'Se-le-na' Emily said, drawing out the syllables in my name through gritted teeth 'This is embarrassing for me too so SHUT up'

I shut my mouth quickly and she nodded her head.

'You need to be sure that if you do ever...sleep with him...that you're careful and that you're absolutely sure that it's what you want. You aren't a kid and you're both legal. I'm not going to sit here and preach about getting married and stuff' She paused 'Just if you do, do anything then be safe'

'I've never done anything like that' I told her, blushing furiously.

'I know you haven't and you're right. What I'm saying is you need to be protected. I love Pete, and I love Nicky but Nicky was an accident, albeit a happy one, but he's here because I wasn't careful' Emily said 'Luckily I was in a position to deal with the consequences and I'm glad. But you're working an evening job and you're going to college next year too. If you make a mistake like I did then you aren't as capable of dealing with it. Then you have to consider that what Jake does is dangerous too'

'What Pete does isn't exactly safe either Em' I replied

'No, but Pete provides for Nicky. Jake isn't paid for what he does' Emily said 'He's supported yes but he doesn't have spare cash, he's given what he needs'

I narrowed my eyes 'Are you saying he's unsuitable because he protects people?'

'No!' Emily replied defensively

'Then what are you saying?' I asked

Emily sighed 'I'm just saying that make sure you're safe and if you slip up then make sure you can deal with the consequences. And make sure he can too'

I looked down at my watch, I was due to meet up with Trixie soon 'This was an excellent talk but can we wrap it up soon?'

Emily rolled her eyes 'As soon as I know what I said got absorbed'

I sighed 'Alright, I'm going shopping with Trixie today; I'll buy some condoms if it makes you feel better'

'Yes it would' Emily said, going back to her coffee.

I rolled my eyes as I got up, tipping my toast in the bin and gulping my juice down before rushing upstairs to get ready. I pulled off my clothes and dumped them in my washing basket. Because I was around Jake so often I could smell him in nearly everything I owned now. As much as I liked it, it was often distracting, today I wanted to focus on shopping and not constantly be thinking about my boyfriend, probably still sleeping in bed the way I left him.

I showered and got new clothes out, enjoying the flowery fabric softener. I decided to use some makeup today and after powdering my face and adding some light bronzer I got to work lining my eyes carefully with brown liner and slicking mascara on as carefully as I could.

I decided to leave my hair down today and I simply fluffed it out, appreciating my hair had a natural un-frizzy and large loose curl to it. Just as I was pulling on my shoes, I heard the doorbell go.

I came down the stairs to see Nicky hugging Trixie's legs and Trixie cooing at him. Snow was circling, a doggy smile on her face.

'Hey there, you ready to go?' Trixie asked after finally peeling my nephew from her legs.

'Am I ever, see you later Em' I called

'Have a nice time'

As soon as I shut the door behind us, I launched into telling Trixie about Emily's talk this morning. Trixie kind of laughed until I mentioned that I had to buy some condoms. Then she went a bit serious.

'Well, you should think about it' Trixie said 'I always make sure I have some'

'Beg your pardon?' I asked, surprised.

Trixie shrugged 'I've been with Spud for nearly two years you know'

I cleared my throat 'I guess those thoughts just don't occur to me'

'Well, you are a bit innocent. We'll just get it done with and then Emily can relax. Just because you have them doesn't mean you have to use them' Trixie replied

'I suppose' I said, unsure.

'Jake loves you but he's not going to want to get you in sack just because there's condoms about'

'I know that, I just don't want the temptation for myself' I explained

Trixie sighed 'You've never had the thought?'

I blushed 'Things got a bit heated one time but we both pulled back and never said anything about it. It did occur to me then that things could get physical at some point'

'There you go, what if things had progressed and then you got knocked up or something?' Trixie said

I went quiet before answering her 'I'm not even sure if Jake and I could have children you know'

'Why not?' Trixie asked

'Look, we've not been together all that long and it's silly to even think about that'

'Nuh uh, you have thought about it. Why do you think that you and Jake can't have kids?' Trixie asked

'Well, he's part dragon and I'm part werewolf. I'm not sure or anything but I can't see us being able to because technically we're two separate species' I muttered

'Oh...I didn't think about that' Trixie frowned 'Well, you're with a bunch of werewolves next week, why don't you ask your Dad?'

I laughed 'Like I could ask that while Jake is inside the Sanctuary and within easy mauling reach'

'Good point' Trixie smirked

XxXxX

After we'd been shopping I went home and admired my buys. A new pair of jeans, dark blue and snug. I wasn't used to buying fitted clothes but Trixie insisted that I get them. A few new tops, a new tube of mascara and finally I pulled out the box of condoms. I stared at them, unsure of where to put them now.

It had been beyond embarrassing but Trixie had said you get used to it. I looked at the semi-empty drawer by the bed and put the box inside before pulling two out and sliding them into the inside pocket of my bag. I put my bag aside and tried to forget them.

I was meeting Jake later too, I groaned. I half wished Emily had never said anything but I was also glad she'd thought enough about me to make sure I was alright. I was able to relax for a bit before pulling on my new jeans. I had to admit, I felt really good in them. I also raided the back of my wardrobe and pulled out the neat high-heels I'd never worn before. I slid them on and nodded to myself in the mirror.

I clacked my way down the stairs before saying good bye to Emily. She also admired my new jeans and displayed a pleased attitude about the high-heels. I walked towards Jake's, feeling really good. I had awhile to wait before he got in because it was dragon duties for him tonight. I was planning on what I could cook to surprise him when I became aware of the prickly feeling on the back of my neck, telling me I was being followed.

I instantly looked over my shoulder but I couldn't see anyone. I frowned before turning around and walking on, silently wishing I hadn't put the high-heels on because now I couldn't hear properly. The wind was also going the wrong way so I wouldn't be able to smell anything either.

I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want to go back to the shop because I'd be leading them straight to Jake's home if they had bad intentions. I couldn't go home because they might follow me and not care about Emily or Nicky.

I did the only thing I could think of; I pulled out my phone and dialled Fu Dog's number

XxXxX

Jake stopped as he heard Fu Dog's phone. He watched as the dog pulled it from one of his many wrinkles and frowned at the caller I.D. He handed the phone to Jake.

'It's your dame' He told him

Jake frowned before flipping the phone open 'Hello?'

'_Jake?_'

'Yeah'

'_Oh thank god_'

Jake tensed, he could hear anxiety in her voice, then he realised she was whispering. He stood up, his jaw tense.

'What's wrong?'

As soon as those words left his lips, Fu Dog and Lao Shi were paying close attention.

'_I'm not completely sure but I think someone's following me_'

'What? Where are you?' Jake asked

'_I was walking to yours but I didn't want to lead them back in case I was being followed. What should I do?_'

Jake was immediately worried, he knew Selena wouldn't bother him unless she really was sure something was wrong. She didn't spook easily either.

'Walk to the shop, I'm at Gramp's place so I'll set off now and I'll be there to meet you' Jake said firmly

'_Are you_-'

'I'm positive' Jake said firmly 'Pretend like you don't suspect, stay on the line I'll pass the phone to Fu, okay?'

'_Okay_'

She sounded unsure but Jake had to fly to get there, he had no idea how close she was to the shop. He handed the phone to Fu and quickly filled them in. He was aware of Fu insisting on coming too while he began to reassure Selena and draw her into a normal conversation. Lao Shi decided to stay at home but he practically ordered Jake to let him know if anything happened.

'I'll let Hayley and Sun know that they need to take over for the rest of the evening' He reassured Jake

'I'm sorry Grandpa but she wouldn't bother me unless she thought it was necessary' Jake apologised

'Go'

XxXxX

Fu was talking at me but I was distracted. At one point I even considered taking off my shoes so I could listen for any footsteps. It was all I could do to not check behind me. I got to the shop and was dismayed to see it was empty.

'Where are you guys?' I hissed

'_We're not far, go inside and lock all the doors_' Fu told me

I went to the back door to unlock it but as soon as I'd stopped moving I heard a footstep close behind me and as I turned to look WHAM! I received a huge knock to the head and I fell sideways, the phone slid from my hand and clattered to the floor.

I landed heavily on my side, I felt like my eyes were rolling everywhere as I tried to re-focus. I was aware of my keys jangling and the backdoor unlocking. Then whoever had hit me grabbed my arm.

'On your feet, wolf'

I growled at the way he'd called me wolf. I spun dizzily, throwing out my arm to try and clout him but he blocked my arm and drew his fist back, punching me square on the cheek. I reeled, but he hung onto my arm, not letting me fall. Instead he shoved me inside the shop where I did finally stumble to the ground. I landed with a loud yell and as he shut the door and locked it again I scrabbled away on my hands and knees, trying to get some distance.

'Where the hell do you think you're going?' He asked, but he sounded like my struggles were amusing to him.

I carried on scrabbling for the front of the shop, reaching for the usual feelings to allow myself to transform but it was like there was a glass sheet over them. I couldn't quite access it. He just let me and I managed to get to the register desk and pull myself to my feet, still struggling to transform. He strutted his way in and I finally got a good look at him. He had dark skin, black eyes and dreadlocked hair. He had a huge stature, both broad and tall. I didn't recognise him but he smelt of that familiar musty fur-like smell. He was Lycanthropic I was sure.

'Who the hell are you?' I asked

'That's on a need to know basis and you don't need to know' He said, his voice low 'Where is the American Dragon?'

I frowned 'I don't know'

He crossed the room in practically one stride and swiftly gave me a backhanded slap across the other cheek before I'd even had time to blink. I reeled but I recovered quickly, frantically wondering why I couldn't transform. I suddenly found myself defenceless and at the mercy of a crazed stranger asking where Jake was. I bit my lip.

'You're right to be frightened wolf'

He cut himself off, dragging my arm suddenly and sticking his leg out so I went down heavily on my back. I was winded but I quickly found myself looking down the business end of a dart-gun barrel.

'This gun is armed with a very lethal poison. I know your kind can burn most poisons off harmlessly that would kill a human so I made sure I upped the dose extra strong'

My ears pricked as I heard the roof door upstairs open. I watched his face for any sort of reaction, his eyes flicked upwards. I took the distraction as an opportunity and grabbed the gun, using it to pull myself up. He snarled and lunged for me as I yanked it clean from his hands. I threw it blindly away from me and ran at him, desperate to give Jake the time to get downstairs and not be ambushed. He went to throw another punch but I ducked and jabbed my elbow into his side. I heard a satisfying grunt as my elbow connected sharply but it only succeeded in infuriating him more.

He looked at me and for a second our eyes connected but then he struck out. Landing a punch right on my mouth. I went down backwards, banging my head on the corner of the table the cash register sat on. I wasn't even awake to hit the ground once that happened.

XxXxX

Jake's heart pounded as he flew, he could feel fear swelling in his chest. He heard Fu swear loudly and suddenly and he had to resist looking around at him.

'You're going to have to speed up kid, her phone just hit the floor and she didn't pick it back up' Fu said

Jake let out a furious snarl and pushed himself to go faster. All his muscles screamed in protest but the thought of Selena in danger was enough to ignore it. Fu was hanging on for dear life and as the roof of the shop came into sight Jake had to force himself to slow down to land for Fu's safety. He could land at high speeds easily but it could throw a passenger from his back.

Once he did land, he transformed down to get down the stairs easier. He could hear the sounds of a struggle downstairs and then he heard a yelp of pain. He recognised Selena's voice and then the sound of a body hitting the floor. He skidded at the bottom of the stairs with a snarl and entered the room.

He saw Selena, lying on her back, her head tilted sideways towards him. He could see she was unconscious and he was dismayed to see a trickle of blood trailing from the corner of her mouth. The next thing he spotted was a huge man, standing over her. His head flicked to Jake and he smirked.


	4. Chapter 3 Surprise?

_So, I keep forgetting to put disclaimers on this. I don't own American Dragon or its characters. I own Selena and her family and a few others I made up. _

XxXxX

'Come to save your girlfr-'

The man didn't even get chance to complete his sentence as Jake slammed into him in full dragon form. Fu had in the meantime entered the room and gone to Selena, not watching as Jake restrained the man and promptly knocked him out when he was done. He turned back into a human and knelt next to Selena, looking unsure as to whether he should touch her or not.

'She's alive' Fu told him

Jake immediately scooped her up and laid her upper half in his lap, he supported her head with his hand but then he pulled a face. He gently set her head down on his leg and looked at his hand. Both of them looked up at one another fearfully at the dark liquid on Jake's hand. Blood.

Jake wiped it quickly on his leg and looked at Fu.

'Call for some help, and get someone to get _him_ out of my sight before I rip him to shreds!' Jake said dangerously, nodding his head towards the restrained and unconscious man.

He picked Selena up bridal style and took her upstairs out of the way. As he laid her back on the bed, he noticed she had bruising coming up on her cheekbone and that the man downstairs had also smacked her across her forehead at some point because she had a small cut over her eyebrow. Her lip was split and slightly swollen and the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth seemed to be coming from the inside.

'Selena?' He spoke loudly 'Come on wake up'

He was relieved to see her frown and blink blearily before looking at him. She was completely confused for a second before she tried to sit up suddenly 'You've had a few knocks to the head by the looks of things. Fu's calling for some help'

As if on cue a healer Jake recognised from the dragon council came in. Selena was familiar with this woman too seeing as she'd both fitted and removed Selena's tag four months ago.

Jake stepped back to let this woman do her work. Watching anxiously as she shone lights in Selena's eyes, cleaned blood off from around her face where it had been leaking from her right eyebrow and inside her mouth. Then she helped her sit up. Selena gave a slight groan and lifted her hand to the back of her head.

'I think she's got something wrong with the back of her head too. I got blood on my hand from there' Jake said worriedly.

'My entire face hurts and my head feels like it might explode' Selena muttered, leaning forwards as the healer parted her hair.

Jake also leaned forwards to see the wound on the back of her head. It was ugly looking and was leaking her blood into the pale coloured hair and it had gone all over the pillow where he'd laid her head. Jake shivered at the sight. He'd seen Selena get injured but he'd never seen it to this extent, the full moon had healed her last time. It was frightening to him and his stomach turned when he realised he'd still got her blood smeared on his hand.

He left the room to wash his hands and locked himself in the bathroom. He felt slightly sick and as he looked at the blood staining his skin, Selena's blood, he nearly vomited but forced it back. He quickly washed his hands off and dried them. He jumped when he heard a gentle tapping at the door.

'Mr Long?'

He opened the door and the healer peered at him 'You're very pale, do you feel well?'

'My girlfriend just got battered around in my home' Jake simply replied

The healer pulled a sympathetic face 'I thought you would want to know that she is alright. She has a concussion but it's nothing dangerous. She just needs plenty of rest and make sure she drinks a good amount of water. The more hydrated she is, the quicker her body will heal. She's already coming around properly'

Jake nodded, running a hand through his hair. The healer reached up and put a hand on his shoulder.

'She's a tough gal, she'll be absolutely fine by morning. The cuts might take more time to heal but the bruising will probably be gone by morning. She'll be fit to travel in time for you to go with her to the Sanctuary' The healer reassured him.

Jake nodded 'I can see her, right?'

'Of course' She smiled again

Jake nodded and moved past her. Selena was still laid in the bed but she was sleeping, her hair splayed around her shoulders and one arm rested over her stomach. Already the bruise on her cheek was healing up, turning that odd yellow colour and all traces of blood had been cleaned off her face but Jake could see that her lip had been split and the cut on her right eyebrow was fairly deep. He knew that if she had been all human it would probably scar.

Jake sat carefully beside her. He was harshly reminded that no matter how strong she really was, she looked fragile. Her height was small and her figure petite, it was deceptive. He almost chuckled as he remembered how she'd taken him off his feet jumping from the top of the steps in front of her house all that time ago.

She stirred suddenly, opening her eyes blearily 'Jake'

He leaned down to brush hair from her face. He accidentally brushed her bruised cheek and she flinched.

'Ow! Stupid motherfuc-'

'Whoa! Strong language is not advised' Jake interrupted, looking at her in surprise 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch it'

'I wasn't cussing at you' She replied 'I was cussing because my entire face hurts, my head hurts and if I hadn't wanted to put high-heels on I would've known he was right behind me sooner!'

'You were wearing high heels?' Jake asked blankly.

She never wore high heels.

Selena glared at him for a second before answering 'Because I wanted to look all girly for once. Not happening again, I'll add'

'I'll get you some painkillers and then you can sleep. I'll call Emily and let her know what's happened and that you're all right' Jake said, not sure how to feel at that piece of information she'd just given him.

He quickly fetched a dose of the pain relief potion the healer had left for her and a glass of water to wash it down. He had experience with these and he knew how they tasted. She didn't make much fuss though and she drank the water afterwards.

'I'm not going out again tonight' Jake told her

Selena nodded, just before she settled back down, Jake pulled the bloodied pillow away and gave her his top one. He tucked her back in and she went back to sleep fairly quickly. He took the pillow straight to the wash room and threw it in the washer.

The call to Emily was stressful and he knew that if she hadn't got Nicky with her, she would've been straight there. He promised to call first thing in the morning.

'Everything okay kid?' Fu Dog asked

'I knew this would happen' Jake said lowly

'What?' Fu asked

'That someone would attack her to get to me!' Jake replied, his voice rising slightly.

'Whoa, we don't know who he was after. Selena is desirable on her own for bad guys' Fu told him 'Maybe she's most useful as bait but not just for you. People are after Wheylyn too'

'Shit, should I call her Dad?' Jake asked

'Leave it until morning. He'll only want to come here and she's going there soon. Let her have some rest before she deals with her Dad' Fu soothed

XxXxX

Jake made me call in sick at work the next day, it was annoying but seeing as I was still feeling residual pain on the back of my head it didn't take much to convince me. Lao Shi also let him have another night off, probably to let him spend some time with me. I had to admit, I didn't mind that either!

I had been genuinely shaken up by this. After I'd gotten home and Emily had made a big fuss about the fact that I was still a bit messed up from my encounter the night before. She went off to work and I was immediately sent to rest either on the couch or in bed by Jake. I chose the couch and Snow also fussed around me, occasionally wining but mostly keeping quiet.

The healer had left some pain relief potions but I found they made me drowsy and I wasn't keen on them. They also tasted rank and made me feel quite sick. I was also not quite knowing what to think about what had happened. Sure, I'd been attacked before but not ambushed in somewhere I considered fairly safe by someone so human. I was confused about it to say the least.

Jake fussed around me, asking if I needed anything, if I was hungry, thirsty, anything he could think of. At first it was sweet, then it began to get a bit cringy, right now it was downright annoying. I was currently sat listening to him prattle about fluffing my cushions for me, his voice booming through my sore head and I suddenly snapped.

'For god's sake Jake! I'm fine! I'm not hungry, I'm not thirsty and I don't need my pillows fluffing again!'

Jake looked at me like a puppy might look at someone who'd just given it a kick. I sighed, feeling guilty. I was truthfully uncomfortable, I had a cracking headache and I felt slightly nauseous as well. Not because I was still concussed but because of the potion and the pain in my head wasn't making that any better.

'I'm sorry' I said straight away 'I'm sorry, I'm just...uncomfortable'

Jake nodded 'I know, I just wanted to try and make you feel better'

'There isn't anything you can do. You know what? I think I'll get some sleep, laying down in bed might not be such a bad thing' I told him tiredly and grumpily.

As soon as I stood up though, the world suddenly swayed as if I was on a boat and I felt my stomach churn unexpectedly. I clapped my hand over my mouth and raced dizzily for the kitchen, bouncing off every door frame I passed. Jake chased after me and as I got to the sink, he began to pull my hair from my face just as I vomited.

I tried to push him away 'Leave me alone!' I yelled at him in between the first and second wave of puking.

I didn't see his reaction and he didn't reply but he didn't leave. I puked until I was dry heaving painfully before my body finally calmed down. I reached upwards for the tap and ran it, finding that all I'd brought up anyway was the potion and it washed away down the plughole. I washed my face off, rinsed my mouth out and stopped the tap when I was done. I couldn't look at Jake as he handed me a towel. I was very embarrassed.

'Why didn't you leave me alone?' I asked, furiously.

Jake looked at me incredulously 'Because you were being violently sick and you're my girlfriend'

'Yes but now I'm mortified that you've seen me like that not to mention the fact I was completely out of it last night and spent the whole time unconscious' I snapped, throwing the towel into the washer and reaching under the sink for some bleach.

'I know you're upset, and probably emotional and I know you're in pain' Jake said quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose 'But I am trying to help you so even though I know how you feel, stop taking it out on me!' His voice raised ever so slightly right at the end.

I stopped emptying the bleach bottle into the sink and I turned to him. I felt so guilty but I was so angry that someone had managed to sneak up on me and that I'd failed to protect myself.

'I don't like feeling vulnerable' I told him slowly 'And I felt vulnerable last night. I couldn't transform, he overpowered me, granted I hit my head on the table on the way down, but that's not the point. I was weak when I came around and I'm still vulnerable now!'

'You don't have to worry. I'll protect you' Jake told me

'I was supposed to be able to protect myself Jake! What went wrong? I could transform now if I wanted to, why couldn't I do it last night?' I asked, my voice high pitched because I was holding back shouting. Not at him but just out of anger.

'I don't know' He replied honestly 'But we're going to find out. He won't get away with it and he will be punished'

Jake crossed the room and wrapped me up into a hug. I relaxed into him, burying my face into his chest to feel his warmth and get his scent. I felt him leaning down to kiss my head. I felt guilty, wishing I'd just said something sooner. I'd spent the morning taking out my anger and insecurities on him. I leaned back to look up at him.

'I'm sorry' I apologised

'I know' He replied 'You didn't mean it'

'I've been so mean though. I should've just said something so you could talk me better like you always do' I told him

He smiled and drew me back in for a hug 'It's not easy to admit it if you're feeling this way. I understand'

We stood like that for a bit and he finally drew back 'Now, are you going to let me pander to you without biting my head off?'

I laughed slightly 'I still want to nap'

'I think it can be arranged' Jake told me, a mischievous glint in his eye.

I was about to ask what he was thinking when he suddenly swept me up into a bridal lift and carried me out of the kitchen, being mindful of not bashing any part of me on the door frames. I couldn't help but laugh.

He put me down and let me walk my own way up the stairs but then he insisted on tucking me into the bed and he cuddled up to me until I fell asleep.

XxXxX

Jake got up and went down the stairs after Selena drifted off, he was just about to settle back down on the couch until he heard the doorbell chime. He peeped through the hole on the door and was surprised to see Rose stood on the door step. He frowned and looked again, to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He opened the door, launching into speech immediately.

'How the hell do you know where my girlfriend lives and what are you doing here?' He asked, annoyed.

Rose looked slightly surprised before recovering 'I heard what happened and I wanted to check Selena was alright'

'You didn't answer my first question' Jake reminded her

She sighed 'Danny tracked her to here before we made contact with you'

Jake felt his jaw clench and Rose looked at him with an unreadable expression.

'So...is she okay?' She asked tentatively

'I don't think it's any of your business' Jake replied

He went to shut the door but she stuck her arm out and he stopped, not wanting to actually hurt her.

'No it's not, but I was concerned' She told him

'Cut the crap Rose!' Jake retorted 'Why are you here? Hoping to get something out of her if you show a little kindness?'

'Whatever Jake. I didn't come here to argue with you, I came here to see if Selena was okay' Rose snapped

'She's fine' Jake answered shortly

Rose sighed exasperatedly and shook her head before turning on her heel and walking away. Jake waited until she was out of his sight before going back inside and shutting the door. He locked it and instead of going to watch tv like he was going to do before, he paced in the living room.

He didn't like that Rose and Danny knew where Selena lived. The fact that Rose had had the nerve to come here, obviously with the intent on speaking to Selena herself was enough to put him on edge. He had nothing to hide where Rose was concerned and Selena knew nearly everything she could possibly tell her about his life before her, he found he was still tense over it.

XxXxX

I woke up suddenly, sitting up and looking around. I registered Jake having a quiet conversation and I pushed the covers back to get up and look. I sat on the top step of the stairs and listened.

'She was really ill earlier' Jake's worried voice drifted up

'The potion, maybe something didn't agree. We'll try her on a different one but the full moon is tomorrow night and I'm sure whatever won't heal before then will be after that'

It was Lao Shi, I wondered what had happened. I decided to carry on listening.

'Any word on the guy who attacked her?' Jake asked

'Yes, that is why I am here. We've got his name, his name is Damon Drake. He's actually an anomaly in the magic world. Rather than having an outright power, he seems to block someone else's'

'But Selena says she could smell he had Lycanthropy'

'His blood test showed that he is carrying the Lycanthropy cells and he has the altered DNA of a Lycanthropic'

'That explains it then, why she couldn't transform' There was a pause before Jake began to speak again 'Have you had chance to ask over those figure sheets'

'Yes I have. The council knew there would be a bit of a rise in new Lycanthropics but not to the extent seen here. They think these figures are fraudulent because all new Lycanthropics have been treated and accounted for'

I got up and stepped heavily on the top step, trying to announce I was awake and up. Immediately it went silent and Jake came to the bottom of the stairs.

'Hey' He greeted me, his voice gentle 'How are you feeling?'

'Still uncomfortable. I've got the biggest headache in the world' I sighed, rubbing my forehead and then wincing when I accidentally brushed my bruised eyebrow.

'Side effect of the blocker' Lao Shi said

'What's that?' I asked

'The man who attacked you. He's what's called a blocker; he blocked your ability to transform' Jake told me

'Nice to know' I shrugged 'Any ideas on why he even attacked me in the first place?'

'None as of yet, he does seem to have Lycanthropy and as a result he's burning off truth potion far too quickly to actually get the most useful information out of him' Lao Shi said

'Is he secure? Full moon tomorrow is all' I asked

'He will be secure for the duration of it. Your father has been notified and he's insisting on trying the new laws'

'What new laws?' I asked, genuinely confused now and feeling a bit stupid for having to ask all these questions.

'Where any Lycanthropics who commit or are a victim of crime, are tried and prosecuted by other Lycanthropics' Lao Shi told me

I frowned and Jake looked slightly unnerved. Lao Shi nodded slightly.

'It has been untested and it only counts for the magical community'

I shook my head 'I'm more concerned about finding out about those figures, I think that's the important bit'

'They might be fake' Jake told me

'Regardless over the authenticity of it, I want to know where those numbers came from' I paused 'We'll go to the Sanctuary and I'll ask my Dad about it. If he can't tell me anything then I guess we'll have to contact Rose and Danny to see if we can find out where they came from'

'Is that wise?' Lao Shi asked

I frowned 'I don't know, but I think there's a link. The moment I refuse them access to the Sanctuary, someone attacks me'

Jake bit his lip and Loa Shi raised an eyebrow. I however folded my arms. I knew there was some kind of link between this and Rose and Danny.

XxXxX

_Review pleeeeeease! _


	5. Chapter 4 Welcome Back

_Disclaimer: I don't own American Dragon or it's associated characters. Just Selena and her associated characters. Id there are any spelling mistakes, please point them out, this was finished in Uk time. _

XxXxX

We were on a plane to California. It wasn't a long flight, probably about an hour. The rest of the week had been uneventful and as Lao Shi predicted, the full moon healed what was still unhealed. We'd heard that Drake had had a very violent transformation and this indicated that he was very new as a Lycanthropic. His questioning was being held off as he needed to recover.

'I still don't see why they would send someone to attack you. They need you to get in the Sanctuary' Jake said quietly

I closed the magazine I was reading and sighed 'I'm not saying they sent him, I just think there's a link. Maybe whoever sent him were hoping to draw my father out'

'No matter what I might say about Rose, she's not the violent type' Jake continued

I sighed and chose not to answer. He'd not shut up about it for a few days, I think he was worrying I was going to say that to Wheylyn and that he'd want to have Rose investigated. Jake had been so restless the last few days that I'd been concerned. He fidgeted now on the plane and I looked out of the window, determinedly until I got fed up.

'Maybe this was a bad idea' I said quietly

'What do you mean?' Jake asked

'I mean going to the Sanctuary with me when it's clearly a bit messed up in New York' I replied

'It's not messed up. You're healed, Drake is in custody and Rose and Danny haven't been around since' Jake said, not looking at me.

I narrowed my eyes 'Look at me'

Jake reluctantly turned his head. I kept my stern glare on him and leaned towards him in my seat 'You're lying' I accused

He jumped 'I'm not!'

I rolled my eyes 'I am healed and Lao Shi wouldn't lie about Drake being in custody so who was it? Danny or Rose?'

'I don't know what you mean' Jake snapped, turning his head away.

I turned away, feeling my blood boiling. We hadn't been getting on very well the past few days at all. Jake was tense and I was still cross about being ambushed, it hadn't made it easy. Emily and Trixie had both been fussing around us too so it was nice to get away but I wasn't sure with the way Jake was acting that it had been a good idea that he came along too. Perhaps a week away would've been a better idea.

Emily had said it wasn't good if you needed time away from the one you loved to work things out. Working them out together was better. Trixie had said that Jake had been shocked at the level of damage I'd received and was worried about me.

I decided that I wasn't going to let this drop but I was fed up of trying to be gentle. I leaned towards him in my seat and tapped his shoulder hard. He looked around at me. The seatbelt sign came on and I knew the plane was going to land soon. I cleared my throat, my tummy bubbling slightly at my own nerves of what I was about to say to him.

'I know you're lying to me and something has really bothered you. So how is this for you; you can tell me the truth and we can talk about what's bothering you or you can continue to keep it to yourself but you will be going back to New York if you do that'

Jake looked at me stunned 'Selena...'

'I can't have this tenseness over us when we go in there, we need a show of peace' I told him

Jake frowned and I kept my eye contact. His hurt expression softened me though and I reached over the arm rest to hold his hand.

'Let me help you' I told him

His eyes softened and he licked his lips carefully before giving me full eye contact again.

'It was Rose. The day we were at your house when you were sleeping, she came to see you. I don't think she knew I was there and she wanted to check you were okay' Jake told me slowly

I frowned myself 'How-'

'Did she know where you lived?' Jake finished for me

'Yeah' I replied

'Apparently Danny tracked you to there before they tried to contact you' Jake said stiffly

'So that's what's been bothering you?' I asked

'I don't want either of them knowing where you live! I don't have anything to hide but I'd prefer it if you were kept separate from everything. They've stayed in New York and I just don't want them bothering you when I'm not around' Jake said angrily

I rubbed his arm 'I'm not going to give in so if they're hanging around to talk to me then they're wasting their time. They're not going to the Sanctuary, they're not going to get anything from me and they're not going to get anything from my family'

Jake simply stayed looking at me; I found I couldn't break his intense eye contact. I was about to open my mouth to ask what was wrong and he leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to my lips before backing off slightly.

'I know all that. I was worried they were trying to act because you were weakened. I know I can't keep you entirely separate from what I do because you're with me and maybe occasionally you will actually be needed. I was just uncomfortable with the fact that they'd tracked you and they know your home' Jake told me

'If anything I behave like a wounded animal when I'm weak. You know that' I reminded him playfully, nudging his arm gently 'Just leave them to it. You know I won't give in to them so there is nothing for you to worry about'

XxXxX

By the time we got to Silverwood Falls it was dark, we made our way through the park. I was allowed to transform for the first time since last month and I howled for Shai loudly. It took five minutes but then he was there. I ran towards him in my wolf form and accepted a nuzzle from him before I noticed the dark shape behind him.

'_Bardo!_'

He came into the clearing, a prominent limp on his front leg. I went forwards to greet him and we touched noses.

'_What happened to you, limpy?_' I asked

'_He picked a fight with a bear, I do not think he will do it again_' Shai replied, his voice sounding almost amused.

'_Yes well, someone had to do something. You were too busy cosying up in your burrow with your mate_' Bardo said

Shai actually shot him an evil kind of glare. I actually lifted my head back and if I had been human I would've laughed but instead a raspy kind of growl emitted. I transformed while this was happening to enjoy laughing as a human. Jake looked at me in surprise as I clutched my belly, my laughter cackling around the clearing. .

XxXxX

Another transportation spell later and we appeared about a mile away from the Sanctuary but on the coast line. Shai guided us, Jake walking along ahead with him. The two were talking so softly even I couldn't hear what they were saying.

'He's tutoring Jake on Lycanthropic etiquette' Bardo told me

'Huh?' I asked

'Please, you were burning with curiosity. I decided to put you out of your misery' Bardo said lightly

I smirked, lifting my lip 'So, how is pack life suiting you?'

Bardo looked up at me 'It suits me well thank you, I thought it would take me awhile to adjust but I felt settled right away'

'That's good to hear' I smiled

'It is good to be around my own kind...well, as close to my own kinds as I can get anyway. It seems I spent my life around beings on two legs, not four' Bardo said

'So did you find it difficult to understand them at first or anything?' I asked 'The wolves I mean'

'No, not really, I understood them very well. It was they who didn't understand me at first and for awhile I doubted myself too' Bardo confessed 'I couldn't understand why I put up with associating with the people I hated and why I didn't just walk away to find my own kind sooner'

'If it was what you were brought up with then it was going to be all you ever knew until you got your eyes opened' I replied

'Yes, I was very surprised when they told me of you' Bardo said 'They filled my head with lies and I'm sorry I went into your head and pulled your memories the way I did'

I stiffened, remembering the amount of emotion it had made me feel 'Well, you did what you had to and I'm sort of glad you did'

'I pulled them because of the amount of emotion attached to them, I didn't realise just what it would hold' Bardo answered, regret in his voice.

'How did you do it anyway?' I asked curiously

'Didn't you know? Lycanthropics have the ability to read one another's thoughts and anything else associated with the brain short of anything physical' Bardo replied 'Did no one ever tell you?'

'No' I said

'Shai told me that humans find it harder, they can just about hold a conversation and occasionally pull a memory with training so maybe no one thought it would be necessary. Plus you are diluted from a normal Lycanthropic, maybe you can only converse in the mind anyway' Bardo theorised

'Still, it would've been nice to have been told that someone else could enter my head. Is there no training to at least counter that?' I asked

'There is actually' Bardo said 'Once we get to the Sanctuary, I will teach you blocking techniques but it's very draining and Shai mentioned that your father wanted to go over some hand-to-hand fighting with you so you may not have time for it'

'Then I'll come back to Silverwood when there is time, I should like to spend some time with Shai's pack even if I have to stay in wolf form' I replied 'In the end though, I need to know how to block enemies out'

Bardo nodded 'Of course'

Shair turned his head back but Jake slowed down to match his pace with mine. He slipped his hand into mine, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. I lent slightly to lean my head on his shoulder. I could feel that he was slightly nervous, I would be too if I was walking into a dragon stronghold.

'We're about to turn the corner and come to the shield. Wheylyn will come out to greet us' Shai called back

We all walked next to one another in a row as we turned the corner. I smiled as I saw Wheylyn, I was about to run to greet him but I held back. Jake let go of my hand and nudged me with a smile. I stroked down his arm before running over to Wheylyn. I crashed into his open arms and he hugged me tightly.

'My daughter, welcome back'

XxXxX

_Review and tell me what you think please. _


	6. Chapter 5 Preparing for a Meeting

_Disclaimer- I don't own American Dragon or it's associated characters. I only own Selena and the other OCs._

XxXxX

My father turned to Jake and to my deep surprise, Jake bowed his head to my father.

'Thank you, for welcoming me in' He told him

I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering what on earth had gotten into him when it dawned on me. This must be the polite thing to do. I opened my mouth to ask Wheylyn about it but he stopped me.

'You are welcome, American Dragon. But you should be aware that you don't have to do that with me, but it is a good idea you do that when we meet the council members tomorrow, you too Selena'

I nodded and Wheylyn greeted Shai and Bardo I turned to Jake.

'For a second there I thought you'd gone mad' I told him quietly

He smirked and nuzzled his face into my neck 'I can be polite, my lady' he said softly against my skin and momentarily making me melt, before blowing an almighty raspberry noise on my neck.

I leaned away, giggling at his playful behaviour when Bardo shouted over 'Oi, lovebirds, aren't you coming in?'

I led Jake through the shield, still giggling at him and holding his hand in mine, suddenly very happy that I had brought him with me. When we came through the other side of the shield I could barely recognise the room. When I had left last time, the floor had been just a dirt floor and the walls uncarved and covered in rock and it was dark and poorly lit. Now, the floor was tiled and rather than just bare rock there had been rendering done on the walls.

'Do you like it?' Wheylyn asked

'It's brilliant!' I said 'How are the rest of the renovations going?'

'We will be able to discuss that tomorrow when you meet with the council members, then Jake will come in and you will both be given a tour of the renovation areas' Wheylyn told me

I frowned 'Why isn't Jake coming in?'

Wheylyn looked at us carefully and sympathetically 'Because Jake isn't on his dragon council as a councillor he has been deemed too much of an outsider to come into the council meeting'

Jake nodded and held my hand, squeezing slightly 'It's fine, Selena'

I nodded but I still felt uncomfortable but then again I should've really known. I supposed if the situation got reversed, I wouldn't be allowed into a dragon council meeting.

'Come on, Shai will show Bardo to his living quarters and I will show you to yours' Wheylyn smiled

I knelt and hugged Shai around his neck 'We'll catch up properly tomorrow' I murmured to him

'Yes, I love you my sister' He said

'You too bro' I smiled

Jake rubbed his ears in goodbye and then we went separate ways. I was amazed at the difference to the place, all the floors had been covered and the walls rendered and everywhere was properly lit. The difference was huge. It was still a cavefish atmosphere but somehow it was so much nicer than bare rock and dirt. It had been very spooky before but not it felt a little more homely and welcoming.

Wheylyn was guiding us to the room I had stayed in last time, I couldn't be sure but I did remember the turns and twists. We finally did come the area I stayed in.

'There you are, you are both staying in here, Selena knows where most things you should need are and I'll come and meet with you in the morning before the meeting' Wheylyn said

Jake and I glanced at each other in surprise but we went with it.

'Good night' Wheylyn said with a smile

'Good night' We both replied

I opened the door and let Jake go in first before shutting it behind us. I listened at the door to see if Wheylyn was listening but I heard his footsteps go away and out of earshot.

'Well, I didn't expect that' Jake said, looking around.

I looked around, the room had been fairly luxurious when I had been here before but it fitted much better now. The rooms were carpeted and the bed had different bedding on it but other than that, not much had changed.

'Yeah, it fits in a lot better with the rest of the renovations now' I answered

'No, I meant your Dad putting us in the same room' Jake said, raising an eyebrow.

'Oh yeah, that is surprising' Then I smirked 'Maybe he wants a reason to kill you'

Jake looked at me oddly before playing along 'Oh, well we wouldn't want to do that' He dropped his bag to the floor and crossed the room slowly at me.

I still had the biggest smirk on my face as he stood right in front of me. He reached up and slid my bag off my shoulder before gripping both my arms in his, sliding his hands up and down.

I moved to embrace him and he accepted, I nuzzled into his chest and let out a contented sigh. Jake held me for a bit and I could feel him resting his chin on the top of my head.

'I'm sorry it's been such a rough week' He said suddenly

'It's hardly your fault' I replied, my voice muffled.

He pulled back, gripping my arms again but in a different way this time 'I want to promise you that I'll always protect you but that happening kind of forced me to realise that I can't or won't always be there'

I reached up with one hand and stroked down the side of his face 'I know that Jake, I knew it when we made it clear we were together. It was a fluke that the first person to really have a go at one of us was someone who could block my powers out. Normally I could've coped fine'

'I know' He paused and I noticed a look of pain in his eyes.

'Jake?'

'It still scared me though, seeing you like that. It scared me more than when you fought with William, at least then I could see you could hold your own against him but you were already unconscious by the time I got to the shop and I saw the dart gun' Jake explained

I felt my tummy twist at how he must've felt, how I would've felt if the situation was reversed.

'I'm sorry' I said, feeling upset for him.

'It wasn't your fault, it was my fault if anything. I should've gotten to you quicker' Jake replied, his voice pained now.

I forced myself back to him, hugging him again. He hugged me tightly.

'But you're fine' He said, into my hair.

'Don't go mushy on me' I muttered

He laughed slightly and pulled away again. I leaned up and kissed him gently, wrapping my arms around his neck. He gripped my waist, pulling me close and kissing me back. But I could sense an amount of restraint from him, he was holding back. I pulled away.

'What's wrong?' I asked

He stared at me 'How can you tell from kissing?'

'I know you too well' I replied 'You're holding back, why?'

'I just...I need-' He broke himself off frowning 'I don't want to push you, it's been a trying week and I-'

I cut him off by kissing again but this time I wasn't as gentle, going straight into passion. He responded quickly enough, jumping to the same level as me. He hoisted me up suddenly by the backs of my legs, making me give a small squeak, I could feel him grinning into the kiss from it. He walked his way over to the bed before we both fell down onto it. He hovered over me, still kissing me but not putting any real weight on me. His scent, which didn't normally effect me anymore unless we were in a situation like this, was making me light-headed. That and his kissing was anyway. I was suddenly mindful of the talk Emily had given me and I pulled back.

Jake looked at me in surprise 'What's wrong?'

I opened my mouth and shut it again, not really knowing what to say. I knew that we should talk about things, find out what we both wanted and make some kind of decision from there. I was hesitant though, I knew I wasn't quite ready sleep with Jake and I wasn't sure what I'd do if he was ready.

'You're thinking, I can almost see the cogs turning' Jake told me, getting my attention back.

'Yeah, I'm thinking about us' I told him

He frowned 'I'm confused'

'I love you, you know' I said calmly

'Don't go mushy on me now' He teased

'Yeah I know' I laughed 'But seriously, I do really love you'

His gaze softened 'I love you too' He kissed me softly before pulling away again 'We should get some sleep'

XxXxX

Jake lay listening to Selena breathing in her sleep, occasionally a small sleepy noise would escape her but other than that she lay quietly. He wondered if he'd done something wrong earlier when she'd stopped kissing. It was abrupt but then he wondered if maybe she was reacting to him saying he'd been scared by the ambush at the beginning of the week.

He rolled over, she was facing him but her hair was all over the place. He stroked it all back off her face to see she looked peaceful enough. In the dim light he could see where the hairs on her eyebrow hadn't grown back yet where it had been cut.

Despite the fact that her injuries had completely healed, he knew she was still tense and so was he. He could still remember the urgency in Fu's voice when he told him to speed up and the fear he'd felt. He knew he shouldn't see her as delicate or breakable but somehow he felt now she could be broken and suddenly, he needed her more.

He was about to roll over and try to sleep when he heard Selena make a weird growling noise in her throat. He looked up to see a heavy frown on her face and her nose wrinkled. He was about to reach out and touch her but her face settled and she went quiet again.

He laughed quietly to himself and rolled over to sleep.

XxXxX

'I'm sorry you can't go to the meeting' I said again

We were waiting for Wheylyn to come and get me. Elenor had come to see us this morning too, she had brought me some clothes to wear and spoken with us for awhile. It was nice to catch up with her, she had a lovely little round baby bump going on with a floaty and baggy dress. Apparently she had been taken off active duty now and was also unable to attend council meetings herself, despite being a member of the council.

'Wow, they take their secrecy seriously' Jake had said

'Yes, they're currently vetting new people to take William's place and a temporary member to take my place. Their selection process has been drastically changed' Elenor told us.

What they were now doing was using the mind link to access memories like Bardo had done to me. I had to admit it was the best way to get rid of any risk of accidentally appointing a new spy. Now that there was a peace with the dragons a spy could work for very dangerous enemies so I had felt it was a wise decision. Jake, however, didn't agree.

'I can't believe you lot can enter each other's minds like that' He said

I looked at him, frowning 'What do you mean?'

'Well, I know they're using it with consent but can it be done forcefully?' Jake asked

I bit my lip, I hadn't told him about what Bardo had done and I was now unsure of what his reaction would be.

'It can be done that way. Bardo and I are planning on me doing some training so I can combat it. I have no intentions of giving up secrets' I replied

'Good, I don't like the idea of someone picking out your brain, who could tell what else can be done if someone was in your head' Jake said darkly

It had never occurred to me that this could be used for things other than communication or memory sharing. It got me wondering as to whether it could be done to other beings or whether it was exclusively for Lycanthropics. I looked at Jake for a second, considering trying to go into his mind but I stopped.

Not only would it be disrespectful of Jake's privacy but I had no idea on how to do it to one of my own, let alone someone like Jake. I realised I had a lot to learn. Wheylyn came in which drew my thoughts away.

'The meeting will last about an hour, that is if we don't run over again. Elenor will fetch you for the last half hour Jake' Wheylyn told us

We nodded and Wheylyn went back to the door 'Come on then Selena'

Then a thought occurred to me which I hadn't considered before 'Wait, I'm not on the council either, why am I attending the meeting?'

'We will discuss that in the meeting, for now, special allowances have been made' Wheylyn replied

I nodded, I gave Jake a peck on the cheek before I followed Wheylyn out.

XxXxX

_I am so very sorry that I've not updated in ages. My Grandad has been very unwell and I've been so taken up with it that I've not thought as much about this as I usually do. By the time I got back to it I had to re-read it and get it all back into my head. _

_Please review if you read this, in need of a little bit of love for this one! _


	7. Chapter 6 Meetings, Fights and Talks

'We should have the living areas fully renovated in two months time. The new layouts and plans has freed up space for at least 50 new rooms, they all range in size. It's not much but it's something at least' Bryce said confidently

Wheylyn nodded 'Excellent, taking in as many as possible is our goal. There is clear difference from the residential area to the guest quarters though?'

'Yes, the residential areas are on a completely separate floor to the guest areas' Bryce answered

'Good, now that that's cleared up, we should discuss the candidates for the council positions' Wheylyn replied 'Charles?'

My head flicked up from my sheet, I'd been doodling and occasionally taking notes. Charles nodded and rearranged his papers.

'I've narrowed the applicants down to about four. They are all current residents, have few or no familial ties and all have good clean records. No deaths or turnings' Charles said

'Sorry but; turnings?' I asked

'Turning a human to a Laycanthropic' Wheylyn replied smoothly

'Oh right, sorry, that should've been obvious' I said

There were a few friendly grins from around the table. I was sat on my father's right hand side, Bryce was sat opposite me, next to him was an empty seat, it was where Elenor was supposed to sit. Next to me was another female council member, her name was Kiandra and the opposite end of the table was Charles.

'We have here Akeela, she is older than us, should really be considered an elder but her age should provide insight. The only problem with someone her age is-'

'Any grudges towards the Dragons' Kiandra finished

Charles nodded his head.

'We don't want tensions, the peace is still relatively new' Bryce said

'I agree, Akeela is too old for a council position. She will have to deal directly with the Dragons and we cannot afford any tensions. This treaty is still fragile' Wheylyn said 'Maybe an advisor's position would be better for her?'

'I will see if she is interested, she seemed fairly accepting of the dragons though. If she bears ill-feelings, she hid them well' Charles said.

'I will interview her myself then' Wheylyn nodded

'Then we have Thomas, he's relatively young by comparison but the same age as us though. He is eager' Charles replied

'An eager candidate is always refreshing' Wheylyn agreed

As they worked through the other two candidates, I felt very out of place. I hadn't been able to give much input so far and I felt very out of place. I was beginning to even wonder why I was here in the first place until Wheylyn spoke about me.

'Now it's a question of discussing Selena's position within the Sanctuary' He said

I blinked 'What do you mean?'

'I have been thinking for some time now. I am not as young as I used to be and I should really get around to appointing my successor' Wheylyn said

I suddenly became suspicious 'That's a good idea'

'I should like you to be the successor' Wheylyn said

I felt my stomach drop 'What about Bryce?'

'Bryce has a wife and a baby, he had already turned down the invitation' Wheylyn said

'What can I say, I'd rather stick with the role I have' Bryce shrugged 'I can't, and in my opinion, I shouldn't run the Sanctuary'

'Okay, what about Shai?' I asked

'Shai has his own pack already' Wheylyn replied

I sat back heavily 'Why me?'

'Because I want family to take over. This isn't a business yes but I worked hard to find and build this place. I care greatly for the people within it and I care greatly for the people who will come here seeking help' Wheylyn said

'I'm honoured but I have commitments in New York. Not to mention that I could end up getting married and having a family by the time I'm needed' I argued

Wheylyn nodded 'It's a huge ask, but we all agree. You've proven that even though you didn't know about this place for very long you've had a massive impact on it'

'Lycanthropics can walk freely in magical areas because we aren't wanted creatures anymore. Many have been able to return to their families, to their old lives save for once a month' Kiandra said

'And that's more than I've ever managed' Wheylyn said

'Please, you set this place up' I replied

'I didn't establish our freedom, you did' Wheylyn said

'I can't-I...I need time to think and...I need time to speak with my family' I said

'By all means' Kiandra said

I nodded and sat there, my emotions were everywhere. They all sat awkwardly around me.

'Perhaps the tours should be left for later, I think Selena needs to process this information' Wheylyn said

They all murmured their agreement and as soon as I politely could, I got up and left the chambers. I practically ran all the way back to my room and burst in through the doors. Jake gave a surprised yell and was stood in some sort of attack stance. I looked at him, my eyes wide and he blinked.

'Selena? What's wrong?' Jake asked

'They want to make me Wheylyn's successor! They want me to be in charge when he dies!' I managed to get out

Jake blinked 'Erm, congratulations?'

I shut the door behind me 'I don't want congratulations! I don't want to run a whole lot of Lycanthropics! I don't want that kind of responsibility!'

Jake crossed the room and held my hands; he looked at out intertwined fingers before locking his eyes with mine.

'Now you know how I feel' He said quietly

I blinked stupidly 'You aren't in charge though'

'I am, in my territory. Selena, I look after a whole continent of magical creatures. I have done since the age of thirteen. It's not as bad as you think' Jake said gently 'Just think about it before you shut them down'

'I don't...I can't take care of two hundred and fifty Lycanthropics Jake' I said desperately

'I think you can, in fact I think you'd be brilliant. Your best qualities are those of a leader' Jake said 'I love you for those things'

'But, what about my family? What about you? Us?' I asked

'Emily would understand and we can make it work. Besides, Wheylyn won't die for a long time right?' Jake asked 'Uhm, not to jinx it or anything'

'I just watched how they select their council members Jake. They go for people who live here, without familial ties. By the time I'm the age Wheylyn might die, I want to have had a family' I told him

Jake nodded 'I know' He embraced me 'I know. If it's me you're with, you should know that whatever happens, I'll always be backing you up and I'll always be doing my best to make things work. In fact, I want it to be me you're with at that age'

I pulled away looking at him. He looked back at me seriously. I felt my heart hammering, trying to process what he was saying. He wanted to be with me for that long?

XxXxX

Jake looked down at Selena, he could get why it was taking her awhile to answer. She'd just been dumped a whole load of new and complicated things. Her green eyes were wide and stunned. She looked for a second like she might actually keel over in a faint before she rushed at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

'I want to be with you at that age too' She was saying, her voice was thick.

Jake wrapped his arms around her tightly, smiling into her hair.

XxXxX

Elenor had come down and dropped off yet more clothes. This time they were looser, baggier items and she left behind a set for Jake too. I lifted up the top which had been left for me which was a cropped, corset style thing, with soft cotton pants. Jake had been given a shirt and similar pants and we were both given soft leather boots which only went to the ankle.

'What are these for?' I asked

'Your father wants to assess how your physical hand to hand fighting is and he thought Jake might appreciate doing some training too' Elenor replied 'Bryce is fetching you in a about half an hour'

She left after we thanked her and Jake inspected his clothes 'I feel like we've been in a medieval throw-back' He said

I held up the top 'Am I meant to wear something under this?'

Jake looked at the item in question and frowned 'Not sure, probably not'

I went into the bathroom and put the clothes on. I felt absolutely ridiculous as I braided back my hair and tied the braid up out of the way so no one could grab it or something. The top showed off an awful lot of my abdomen and I stood there inspecting it, wondering how on earth this could be considered practical.

I left the bathroom just as Jake was buttoning up his shirt. He looked up at me and his jaw dropped. I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling a little bit conscious of how much flesh was bared.

'Erm...well...you look good...I mean...really good' Jake commented

I looked down at myself and then back up at him, one eyebrow raised 'This is stupid, who scraps in this kind of clothing?'

Jake finished buttoning his shirt 'Well, didn't you wear it last time? You mentioned they did some hand to hand training with you'

'They just let me wear a vest and some trousers' I replied

Jake approached me 'Well, I think you look good. Don't worry'

I grinned wickedly 'Perve'

Jake raised one eyebrow 'Oh really?

'Yeah' I replied

He didn't say anything, just approaching me from where he'd been stood as if he was stalking me, the look on his face made my heart hammer. I led him on, taking a few steps back until my back brushed the wall. He stepped right into my space, towering over me. He pressed his hands to the wall, his arms on either side of me, pinning me in place. I breathed in his scent, my heart hammered and my knees went slightly weak; the whole situation was making me light headed. Surely he must know the effect he was having on me.

'Do you realise what you do to me?' I blurted suddenly

'What I do to you?' He blinked in surprise 'Do you realise what you do to me?' he repeated

It was my turn to be surprised. He didn't ever seem to have any outward signs that I affected him the same way he affected me. I blushed and got clammy and stuff, he seemed to always be in complete control of himself.

'All the cliché things happen to me' I replied

He swallowed, his adams apple bobbed. It was like I was hyper aware of all of his movements.

'Same here, Lee' He finally replied

He leaned down and kissed me. I responded eagerly, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling myself closer. He put his hands on my waist, clearly taking advantage of the bare flesh.

This kissing felt different, it lacked the usual control. I understood that this was Jake going all out, no holding back. It got very intense very quickly and I had to pull away.

'Jake-'

'I know, you're not ready'

I looked at him, he'd been thinking about things too? His eyes were intense as he watched my reaction. I opened my mouth and closed it, trying to collect myself and think of what I should say.

'You don't have to say anything' He excused my lack of response 'It's a huge step and I love you but I'm not all for it until you are. There's still so much we need to work out without complicating things with that. We're still relatively new as a couple anyway; we still need to know each other a little better first'

I nodded 'I agree, we just...I don't know. Wow, you really have thought things through'

He laughed at my response 'I'm a guy Selena; of course it crossed my mind. Not to mention that you mean everything to me and you're everything I could ever want or even have hoped for, you are seriously...how can I put this?...You are like the hottest girl I've ever met'

I raised my eyebrows, allowing a cheeky smile to quirk my lips 'Oh really?'

'Yeah, really' He replied, smiling warmly.

'You aren't so bad yourself' I replied, grinning.

'Aw man, only not so bad? I need to work out more then' He joked

I laughed 'No you don't, you're perfect'

He smiled 'Thanks'

XxXxX

So after Bryce picked us up and took us to the training area, Jake and I had calmed down. Bryce and Wheylyn gave a demonstration fight. Jake watched horrified as they laid into one another, when they finally finished. Jake stood in front of me.

'No way, you can't throw her around like that!' He said

'Selena is stronger than she looks, and a very capable fighter' Wheylyn said

I stepped around Jake 'Don't worry, he doesn't tend to hit me that hard'

I could tell it didn't reassure him much and he stood with his arms crossed, watching tensely.

They circled me and I realised this wasn't a one-on-one fight; they were going to see how I handled being outnumbered. They circled and Wheylyn grinned.

'Oh yeah, I should warn you my friend. If it looks like she might lose, she's not afraid of fighting dirty'

'What, you mean she'll go for the gentleman's veg?' Bryce asked, scowling at me.

I snickered. Bryce was the first to attack, he tried to swift kick me under the feet but I jumped up quickly and grabbed his arm. Using my lighter and more nimble weight to my advantage, I swung myself around using his own momentum and shoved him into Wheylyn. They both recovered quickly, going back to circling. I looked around and spotted a rack of combat weapons, I fixed onto the two fighting sticks.

I looked back at them and suddenly Wheylyn ran at me. I ducked under his arm and then jabbed my leg out, tripping him and then quickly rolling out of Bryce's way before standing up and sprinting to the weapon's rack in three strides. I grabbed the sticks and turned, immediately having to block Bryce's arm and knock it aside. I jabbed him the side with the end of the stick, stunning him briefly.

I didn't have enough time to block Wheylyn though and he managed to knock my feet from under me. I crashed down onto my side but I hit out at his shins, managing to connect a good smack to one of them before rolling away and getting to my feet.

They both selected a non-lethal weapon in the sense that it wasn't sharp. The resounding clacks of smacking wood filled the arena. The intensity of it forced me to push myself; it was also forcing me to not rely on my wolf form. Normally I would've switched to it by now and just bitten them or something. We each managed to get a hit or two on the other but I was a bit more battered from this than they were.

Finally Bryce managed to get my arms pinned and Wheylyn was about to disarm me completely until I threw my head back and the back of my head connected with Bryce's forehead with a huge crack. It was a mistake on my part.

We both collapsed to the ground, Bryce uttering out a stream of profanities while I held the back of my head regretfully.

'Sorry...ow...I messed that one up-ow!'

Wheylyn laughed, clutching his belly and pointing at me and Bryce, both sprawled out on the floor.

'White light!' Bryce yelled

It just succeeded in busting Wheylyn up with laughter again. Jake came over and helped me up, checking the back of my head himself. Wheylyn was still laughing and Bryce was laid on the ground still, a large red welt appearing on his forehead. Jake was holding onto my arm tightly, he was tense. Despite the fact that these were trusted people, who wouldn't do anything to hurt me, he clearly didn't like idea of me fighting.

'How about you and me Jake?' Wheylyn asked

XxXxX

Both of us got back in that evening sporting an equal number of bruises and injuries. Mine were already healing, especially after the evening meal. As Jake peeled his shirt off, I noticed a nasty looking welt on his back. It was a huge bruise and the skin had even cracked.

'Wait there' I told him

I went into the bathroom and ran a basin of warm water before grabbing a soft flannel. I dropped it into the water and saturated it before taking the whole lot out. Jake was inspecting his wound in the mirror, prodding it slightly.

'Stop touching it' I said, trying not to laugh at him 'Here, let me clean it'

He sat obediently on the edge of the bed. I climbed over to kneel up behind him. I put the bowl of warm water in his hands and made him hold it where I could still reach it. I squeezed the water from the rag and gently began to clean it up for him. His body tensed occasionally, probably in discomfort from me cleaning the blood off him. I imagined it must sting a bit.

Once I was done I dropped the rag back into the water and climbed around him to take the bowl away. Once I'd disposed of the bowl and come back into the room Jake was still sat where I'd left him. He had a thoughtful look on his face. I leaned back on the doorframe, reaching back to untangle my hair from its braided updo.

I hissed in frustration when I found it was difficult to get the pins back out and I was about to go back into the bathroom to look in a mirror when I felt a strong hand on my arm.

'Let me' Jake said softly

I glanced around only for him to swivel me back around so my back was to him. He guided me by my shoulders to the chair in front of the mirror where I could sit down. Then he gently began to pull the pins from my hair. I found he was very attentive and careful to not snag any of my hairs in the pins. He pulled them out one by one until the braid flopped down onto my back.

Then he tugged the hair tie out and began to undo the braid, combing his fingers through carefully. If I was a cat, I would've purred, but I wasn't. Instead I let my head roll back and I relaxed. Once he was done combing out my hair he stepped forwards so I could lean my head on his chest and instead he kneaded my shoulders.

He pressed his thumbs gently into all the sore areas and my eyes connected with his in the mirror. In the dimmed light, his pale skin was lit golden and his dark eyes sparkled at me. I let a contented smile tug at the corners of my lips and he leaned down and pressed a kiss into the curve of my neck, right in that sensitive bit.

'I love you' He muttered

'I love you too' I replied

He leaned around to kiss my mouth, he also tipped me back slightly, supporting me with one arm. I felt completely secure; I knew he wouldn't drop me. I tipped my head back, allowing him easier access. We kissed for ages, varying between wild passion to gentle pecks.

In the end he picked me up and dumped me on the bed, putting us in the same position as yesterday but after us talking earlier in the day I found myself more relaxed and able to focus on him. He seemed more relaxed with me now as well, leaning closer.

This turned to cuddling, winding down on its own. Jake rolled off me and pulled me close, my back pressed against his bare chest. I let my eyes close and sleep took me easily, my energy burned off on fighting Wheylyn and Bryce.

XxXxX

Over the next day we were eventually taken on the tour of the place finally. People who recognised me from last time would come up and speak to me, a few were happy to meet Jake, a few were hesitant. There was a definate correlation between the ones who were frightened of him being of the older generation of Lycanthropics to the younger ones who seemed perfectly happy with his presence.

'It will take time to recondition what has been engrained for so long' Wheylyn said

We were sat in the empty council chambers, me Bryce, Wheylyn and Jake.

'I had no idea there was such fear of dragons among people of the magical community' Jake said

I held his hand, this was new to him. His role as the American Dragon was normally welcomed, revered in a way. This was a very new and unusual experience for him.

'I can understand though' He said, as an afterthought 'We were taking their freedom from them'

'The peace is still so new, I think people aren't necessarily afraid of dragons more like they will have to go back into hiding' Bryce said

'It's a genuine fear' Wheylyn nodded

'It won't happen while I'm around' Jake said with conviction

'No offence but you aren't even on your council, how would you stop that happening?' Bryce asked. The question wasn't nasty, or impolite. More of a curiosity.

'I don't know' Jake replied honestly 'But I'd do anything I could'

I smiled to myself. The doors to the council chamber slammed open so suddenly all four of us jumped to our feet. I had even been about to transform the surprise was so sudden. Shai raced in with Bardo.

'You!' Shai shouted, looking right at Jake.

'What?' Jake asked, confused

'We need to get you out of here' Shai said, his eyes wide an panicked

'What? Why?' I asked

'I have had a vision, we need to get Jake out of here now. Someone is going to try and assassinate him'

**XxXxX**

_Oooo, drahmeeerrrr. Who could be trying this? _

_Review please! _


	8. Chapter 7 Death?

Rushing through the Sanctuary was stressful. I wasn't completely sure on the route and ever so often we had to stop a fork in the tunnel while I thought. Every time we stopped though, I was conscious of how long it was taking to get Jake out of here and to safety.

'Like a bloody rabbit warren' Bardo commented

I'd had to stop again and I was looking backwards and forwards between three tunnels now.

'Which way?' Jake asked

'I don't know' I replied, feeling tears prick my eyes.

'Just breathe, don't worry. We'll get it' Jake soothed

I took an inhale through my nose and as I did, I scented salt water. My eyes snapped open and I did it again. Jake looked at me oddly.

'You alright?' He asked

'I can smell salt water, the sea in other words' I replied

'I can smell it too now you mention it' Bardo piped up

I approached the far right hand tunnel, the smell was strongest there. I knew the tunnel opened up on the coastline.

'It's this one, I'm sure' I said

We took off down it, finding it was a weaving and winding tunnel. I suddenly slipped, went flying onto my back, cracking the back of my head and skidding away before coming to a slow stop.

'Selena!' Jake shouted

'I'm fine' I lied, trying to ignore the pounding in my head and the dizziness I was feeling.

I was also aware of a hot liquid trickling sensation going on and I sighed exasperatedly. I'd opened up the healed cut again. Jake got to me before I could get up properly. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet properly. Because we weren't running along and making a lot of noise I could hear the lapping of waves.

'I don't need super hearing to hear that' Jake commented

'The tide is high' Bardo said 'It must have flooded the tunnel'

'Great, how do we get out?' Jake asked

'We swim' I replied

'Are you nuts?!' Jake asked, alarmed

'No, I'm thinking of your safety' I retorted

'Can't we use the spell here?' Bardo asked

'No, the spells don't work inside the shields' I said, remembering that from the meeting.

'So we have no other choice' Bardo said, resigning himself to the fact that he'd have to swim.

'Wait!' Jake said suddenly.

He yanked me back and inspected the back of my head.

'You're bleeding' Jake told me 'You can't go swimming through a tunnel. We have no idea how much it's flooded or whether there's a strong current'

'We have to risk it' I replied

'No, we'll have to go back' Jake said

'No!' I shouted 'Didn't you hear what Shai said?' I walked to him and gripped his face with both hands 'I don't want you to die'

'Not to mention how the dragons might respond if you were to be killed within our walls. Where we said you'd be protected' Bardo pointed out

There was a moment of silence as Jake and I stared one another out. But footsteps behind us broke the silence and we all looked around. My eyes widened in shock at who I saw.

'Decisions, decisions' He taunted

'You!' I shouted 'What the hell are you doing out?'

William strutted backwards and forwards, a smug looking smirk on his face. Bardo walked around to stand in front of us, growling low. Jake had hold of my arm but I was stood in front of him.

'Didn't you hear?' William asked as if we were stupid 'There was a breakout at the Dragon Prison. All the high securities have been freed'

I didn't dare break eye contact; I knew this was bad 'Who else?' I asked

'Well, the old gang is back together. Bayard and Skellard were also released and the charming man who tried to kidnap you about a week ago, Drake I think his name was' William taunted

Jake's grip on my arm tightened and I felt a pang of fear. I froze as Bardo connected to my mind.

_Just go now, he's only human; I'll hold him off_

_He's tricky, we don't know what he has planned_ I shot back _You might need all the help you can get_

Bardo growled, crouching slightly. William looked at him and laughed.

'Figures you'd take up with this lot, what did Wheylyn offer you then?' William asked

'I was offered nothing but the freedom to live my life how I chose. Something I never had before' Bardo snarled

_He's baiting you _I commented

_Stay out of it! _He shot back

'The thing is Bardo, the deeper you get, the more freedom you lose. Did you know Selena is already tied to this place for life just because she's the leader's daughter?' William asked

I looked at him, shocked 'What do you mean? I'm not tied to anything'

'Don't bullshit girl! I have spies planted so deep in this place knowing who would curl your hair' William hissed

It had to be a council member, that was closed information. I immediately thought of Charles, he was William's brother after all but that seemed too obvious and he'd been so thoroughly screened. That left only one other choice, I couldn't see it being Bryce at all. Jake tugged on my arm, bringing my attention back to the situation at hand.

'How did you find us?' I asked

'That is for me to know and for you not to' William replied

Bardo suddenly sprang at him, he landed right on William and they both crashed to the floor. I turned away, pushing Jake forcefully.

'Go!'

Jake grabbed my arm and pulled me along with him. I fought against him, looking back to see Bardo and William still scrapping. William was holding him off with one arm while reaching into his pocket with his other hand. I shoved at Jake, trying to make him let go of me. William pulled out a sharp looking silver glinting thing; it had to be a knife.

'No, Bardo!' I yelled with both my voice and my mind.

William gave him no time to react, he plunged the knife into Bardo's side. The yelp of pain he gave made me pull away from Jake again but Jake pulled me back and wrapped one arm around my waist, almost taking me off the floor.

William stabbed Bardo three more times before pushing the defeated lycanthropic off him. Jake was frantically pulling me along, we were now almost waist deep in the tide water. William stood up and frantically threw his knife at us.

I twisted in Jake's arms and instead on hitting him right in the kidney, it landed in my side with a dull thud. The pain was immediate and I gave a loud shriek. William let out a frustrated scream, his plan to kill Jake had failed.

As quickly as he could, Jake dove underwater and swam strongly, pulling me along with him. I tried to help where I could but pain was quickly taking over. I'd never felt anything like it, it surpassed the pain of the silver bullet. I was trying to hard to keep my mouth shut to preserve my air but sometimes I couldn't help it and a groan would allow air to escape.

Jake shoved me away from him suddenly and I curled up as I sank, finding the knife was still sticking out of my side. The pain was so intense it took awhile to compute that Jake had dropped me. I opened my eyes, ignoring the sting of sea water to see a huge flash of fiery light. A scaly arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me again and suddenly the swimming was more propelled, smoother and a lot faster.

Just as I thought I really wouldn't be able to hold my breath any longer we broke the surface of the water. My gasp for air also turned into a groan of pain. I floated in Jake's arms as he struggled to get his wings out of the water to fly us out.

'Just let go of me Jake' I moaned

'What!? No!' He shot back

'I don't think this is survivable' I paused to take a shuddery breath 'It hurts too bad'

Jake reached into my pocket and pulled out the transport spell. He broke it with his teeth rather than smashing it on the ground and we were covered in a blinding purple light.

**XxXxX**

_Has Selena just made the ultimate sacrifice to save Jake? You'll have to find out I'm afraid._

_I'm also very sorry about lack of posting, our internet has been broken since last Thursday so that's also why I didn't reply to reviews either. Don't worry, I'll reply to them this time lol. _

_Also, I've had lots of people follow this but I've never had a review from them. While it's nice to know there are people following/reading this, it would really make my day if you are one of those people and you did drop a review and let me know what you think about the story. Please? _


	9. Chapter 8 An Interesting Visitor

_So I'm very sorry I haven't updated in awhile but as I previously mentioned my Granddad is quite ill and he's just had major heart surgery to pretty much save his life. As you can imagine I've been pretty taken up with things like supporting my family and keeping myself sane._

_Anyway, on with this chapter and sorry for keeping you waiting. The updates may be squiffy because my Granddad still has a ways to go before he recovers (This includes more surgery on his bowel because he also has bowel cancer)so I can't promise regular updates. _

_Thanks to anyone who has given a review so far and anyone who has sent me personal well wishes. It means a lot xxx_

**XxXxX**

The spell dropped them out with a massive amount of water into the healing ward of the Draco Island. Jake rolled to see Selena laid there in a puddle of water. Her eyes were shut although she had an expression of pain on her face. Her hair was splayed out around her head in the water puddle and he felt sick when he saw the knife sticking from her side. The wound was already polluting the water with her blood.

The healers rushed to them, blocking Selena from his view. Gentle hands pulled on his forearm and he tore his eyes away from where Selena was to see the healer who'd dealt with her only last week. She pulled him up with surprising strength and he stood up, immediately trying to follow the healers who'd loaded his pale and lifeless looking girlfriend onto a hospital bed and wheeled her away.

'No Jake, I need to know how this happened'

Jake turned to her 'Why did no one tell the Lycanthropics that Bayard, William, Skellard and Drake had escaped?' He hissed

She flinched 'We didn't want you to worry'

'You didn't want us to worry? That's great! No, you should've trusted them! This is an issue of trust!' Jake accused 'Where the hell is Ominar? She's in charge of security!'

'Ominar is unavailable'

Jake turned to see Andam stood in the doorway to the infirmary. Jake strode to him, applying as much self control to not kick anything on his way past.

'What the hell happened?' He growled

'Rorick Fey happened' Andam replied

Jake let out a frustrated snarl but Andam held his hand up.

'We need you to remain calm'

'You want me to be calm?' Jake asked incredulously 'We just got attacked inside the sanctuary! Someone planned to kill me but they hurt Selena instead! I failed to protect her again!'

'Jake Long, I need you to calm down now or I will be forced to sedate you!' Andam said sternly

'Damn it! That knife was meant for me!' Jake yelled

Andam's stern expression went to one of sympathy and Jake stumbled away backwards and leaned against the wall before sinking to sit down and he held his head in his hands. The healer knelt beside him, trying to comfort him but he shrugged her hands away. There he stayed until Lao Shi and Fu Dog arrived.

'Jake' His grandpa's voice got his attention

'I won't be able to stand it if she dies' Jake muttered

Lao Shi stood up 'What's happening?'

The healer looked at them worriedly 'They've taken her into surgery to repair damage to the wound. They also have reason to believe the knife had poison on it'

'Has her guardian been informed?' Lao Shi asked

'Not yet' Andam replied

'Get her here right away! Her sister should be here' Lao Shi said angrily

They heard no more from the room in which Selena's surgery was being done until a very frantic and pale Emily arrived. As soon as she saw Jake she went into a frenzy.

'You!' She shrieked 'We've not had one lick of peace since she got involved with you! This is all your fault!'

Lao Shi stood in front of Jake where he still sat on the ground. He'd not looked up once.

'It is Jake who got her here and gave them a chance to save Selena!' Lao Shi defended his grandson

Emily gave an evil look towards them and stalked to the opposite side of the room where she sat, eyes watering and refusing to look at anyone. Finally a healer came from the room. Everyone stood up and looked at him.

'We did all we could for her, the knife didn't hit any vital organs luckily but it had serrated edges. It was also laced with a very deadly poison, Sphinx venom. It is a very lethal toxin to any but a dragon it will kill in minutes'

'Is she going to be okay?' Emily asked

The healer looked hesitant to answer 'I can't say for sure yet. Not only does she have a deadly poison in her system but she had a great deal of blood loss. Her healing abilities as we understand so far lie in her blood. We can give her a transfusion to keep her blood count up but she won't have the advanced healing until her body can generate new blood cells'

Emily's face crumpled slightly and the healer looked to her sympathetically 'We're getting her settled in a private room. Once she's ready you can visit her but she's to have only one visitor at a time'

The healer left and Emily looked around at Jake and Lao Shi. Jake felt as though his heart had ripped in two. The older girl stood there a shell shocked look on her face.

Andam came into the room shortly after 'Wheylyn will be with us very soon. I'm sorry to inform you of this now but the reason of his delay was one of the Lycanthropics, he goes by the name Bardo'

Jake sat up Andam shook his head 'He died shortly after you arrived here'

Jake shut his eyes and paced the room before landing an almighty punch on a filing cabinet. He left a huge dent in the metal and it silenced the ward. Lao Shi gripped his grandson's arm.

'That will not help matters'

'What does it matter? Bardo's dead, Selena might die and all because of those...those...' Jake cut himself up, failing to come up with a decent word to describe the gang of men led by the warlock.

'These are difficult times' Andam commented 'While yes, Jake was indeed the target this time I believe his death was designed to weaken Selena and make her easier to capture'

'So ultimately, they're still after her?' Jake asked

'Yes, but the reason is unclear. She mentioned last time they had you both captured, they wanted her blood?' Andam asked

'Yeah, when Bayard tried to kill her he said 'If I can't have your blood, no one can' What can that mean?' Jake asked

'Whatever happens, she's not having anything to do with you again!' Emily snarled

Jake rounded on her immediately 'That's Selena's choice don't you think?'

Emily folded her arms and tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. Andam tried to reason with the young woman.

'Depriving Selena of Jake's protection is not a wise move'

'And leaving her under it is? This is the second time in a month that he's been unable to stop her from being harmed!'

'They caught me by surprise the first time and this time I tried my hardest. I had her and I was leaving with her. She twisted and it happened!' Jake yelled 'I would've gladly taken that knife to keep her alive' He whispered

'But she took it, and now she might die' Emily replied harshly

They were all left in a silence until finally the healer came back and called Emily in.

XxXxX

'Bad news Bayard, the whole plan might be done with' Skellard said

'What do you mean?' Bayard asked, spinning his chair to look at Skellard.

'William got captured and our spy says that Bardo was killed, the dragon got away and Tyler was hit with the dagger'

'WHAT!?' Bayard screeched 'Do you have any idea how important she is!? She's the whole reason we're going to all this trouble. If she dies, we might as well kill ourselves!'

'Sir?' Skellard asked

'Our contractor paid us an awful lot to deliver her to him' Bayard replied

'Why her?' Skellard asked

'Because her father is the strongest self-healer we've come across. While she was unconscious when we captured her four months ago, I got a sample of her blood from her. We can give a sick person her blood, obviously it will need to be refined first to filter out the healing proteins. Why do you think all those other experiments of his failed?'

'Because although their sicknesses and injuries were cured, they were infected' Skellard frowned 'Can't we find another hybrid?'

'How many do you think there are? It's below a hundred like her and I've investigated them all, they each have gifts, some have better eyesight, some hearing and some senses of smell. But in Selena's family line, Wheylyn is an extraordinary self healer and she inherited his healing strength. I once saw him heal a six inch cut in minutes and Tyler's own body rejected a silver bullet under a full moon!' Bayard said

'I'll keep you informed. The spy is checking in again in a few hours' Skellard replied.

'I need her blood. If she dies, there is no where that can keep William safe' Bayard threatened

XxXxX

Emily left in the early hours of the morning, leaving Jake free to see Selena. He was now stood outside the door to the room they'd put her in. Lao Shi had already been in to see her and he'd warned Jake that it would be a shock for him to see. For that to come from his Grandpa, Jake knew it must be bad. After all, he was used to seeing the shocking almost every day.

Fu Dog was stood next to him 'You know, you don't have to go in. I'm sure she'd understand'

Jake shook his head 'No, she'd suck it up and see me. But that's Selena, she's brave. I'm not' He turned away from the door, raking his fingers through his hair 'I love her, I can't even man up and go and see her when she needs me'

'Look Jake, going and seeing her isn't for her benefit at all. She's unconscious, she will be for awhile. Jake...she might not even wake up' Fu Dog paused, watching the young man pace 'This is for you. You go in there, you sit with her, you hold your hand and maybe you give her a kiss on the cheek or something'

'Fu Dog is right' Lao Shi said from down the corridor 'Go and reassure yourself that she's alive for now. The healers say her heart beats faintly but at least it beats'

Jake stopped pacing, he took a deep breath and pushed the door open gently and went inside. He shut the door, keeping his back turned. He looked over his shoulder and was slightly shocked. He turned fully.

His Grandpa was right, it wasn't a good sight. There were wires attached everywhere monitoring various things, there was a breathing mask over her face covering most of it. Her hair was dried but unwashed and so the seawater had made her usual soft waves straggly and crispy looking. Her eyes were taped shut.

Jake took a moment before he approached her. He was most focused on the heart monitor; he could see the zig zag line and hear the strong beep. He approached slowly and sat in the chair next to her. No response, no movement, not even a flutter on her face.

Jake hesitantly reached out and took her hand in his. It was cool compared to his, he was heated with dragon fire, she wasn't. He gently lifted her arm, the only free one that wasn't hooked into anything and lent the back of her hand against his cheek.

He bowed his head and listened to the respirator helping her breathe. Selena's cool skin heated slightly from being pressed against his cheek. He wasn't sure how long he sat like that, focusing on listening to the heart monitor and the respirator.

'Ahem'

Jake nearly jumped out of his skin, dropping Selena's hand and jumping to his feet he looked up. There, crouched on the windowsill was a dark shape. It was a young woman, probably just a bit older than him and Selena. She had long black straight hair, pale ice blue eyes and she was dressed all in black. She quirked her lips slightly at him.

'Who the hell are you?' Jake asked

She quirked her head this time, putting it at a cocked angle 'You don't need to know who I am, only that I've been keeping an eye on your girlfriend for a long time'

'What?' Jake asked

'And I have a bit of information for you' She told him, her teasing demeanour turned serious.

'What is it?' Jake asked

'You might want to look a bit more closely at your ex girlfriend. Dig a little deeper about who she works for, she might not be a guilty party but she can at least get you close to the person trying to kidnap your girl'

Jake narrowed his eyes 'What is all this?'

'A bit of advice, if you are wise you will heed it' She told him, snappily.

Jake turned his head away for one second to look at the door of the room and then looked back to the window. The woman had managed to disappear in that time. He rushed to the window and looked out, he couldn't hear anything except the paint pattering of tiny sounding paws. He frantically looked around, trying to locate where they were coming from but they faded out of his hearing range.

Immediately Jake turned back to Selena. She hadn't moved at all. He bent and pressed a quick kiss to her cold forehead before pressing his forehead to hers.

'I love you so much' Jake whispered

He imagined he was hearing things but he thought he heard her heart moniter beep just a tiny skip quicker. He stood up and left, glancing back only once.

**XxXxX**

_So much draaaaamaaaah! And who is the new character and what are her motives? _

_As usual please send a review. Funnily enough after my last appeal for reviews a lot of my regulars didn't leave one! So I shall not be leaving please for reviews anymore I don't think lol _


	10. Chapter 9 A Moment of Light

'It sounds like you might've encountered a Werecat' Lao Shi said thoughtfully.

Jake had immediately gone and told his Grandfather about the woman who'd come into Selena's room. He'd told him about what she'd said and what he'd heard after she'd disappeared. They were waiting for Wheylyn to turn up and were currently sat in the waiting room of the Infirmary.

Jake blinked 'What's a Werecat?'

'The wisest and oldest of all magical creatures. Some say they were the first to take human form, others say they are the old spirits in tangible forms. They are immortal creatures, the one you encountered might not be as young as you thought' Lao Shi replied

'She might be centuries old. I've only heard of Werecats watching others a handful of times and if they give you advice, you'd better listen' Fu Dog added

'You are indeed lucky to have encountered one and talked with her and Selena is very blessed if there is indeed one watching over her' Lao Shi finished

Jake sighed and wiped his hands over his face. His exhaustion was starting to take hold. Lao Shi frowned at him.

'How long is it since you have slept?' He asked

'I've not slept since yesterday night' Jake answered

'Go, go and get some rest' Lao Shi urged his grandson

Jake shook his head though 'I should at least speak to Wheylyn and I need to know if they managed to catch William. If they're this desperate to get hold of Selena, there should be guards at her room twenty four hours'

'Yes, I have already recommended them but if Bayard himself decides to get her there won't be much that can be done against a magic user like that' The older man replied

'Bayard isn't the type to get his hands dirty. He'll sit in whatever hole he's hiding in and send his lackeys to get her' Jake said darkly

'If he gets desperate enough though' Fu Dog trailed off

XxXxX

Both Wheylyn and Shai arrived not long after. Wheylyn put his hand on Jake's shoulder when he saw him.

'I know you did your best lad' He simply said before going into Selena's room.

Shai was beside himself; he was devastated over losing a member of his pack who had also become his closest friend, upset over Selena's current condition and angry with himself that he hadn't realised it had been a trap.

Lao Shi and Fu Dog remained with him but Jake was now on the verge of collapse. He excused himself and took a transport spell home. His mother was there waiting for him. As soon as she saw him she opened her arms to him. Jake accepted the comfort. Susan was far smaller than her son but sometimes a mother's comfort is needed. They sat down side by side on the couch.

'I'm so sorry Jake' She said softly

'I'm useless, how could I let this happen?'

'I know you and I've already spoken with your grandfather. You did your very best and at least Selena has a chance' Susan replied

'Have you seen Emily?' Jake asked

'Yes, she's distraught'

Jake sat quietly, feeling his eyelids going heavy. His mother pulled him up and led him to his room.

'Get some sleep, if anyone calls you I'll wake you immediately' She promised

Jake simply laid on his bed, not bothering to get undressed and only pausing to pull his shoes off. He fell into a deep and dreamless sleep of complete exhaustion.

XxXxX

Jake allowed himself about five hours of sleep before he got up. He changed his clothes, washed his face and brushed his teeth. On the way out of the bathroom he bumped into Hayley. She looked up at him, her dark eyes expressed sympathy and sadness.

'I'm so sorry about Selena Jake' She said 'Take the time you need to be with her, Sun and I will cover your duties for you'

Jake looked down at his sister, she was now a similar age he'd been at when he'd first started his dragon duties. He knew Hayley was very capable of taking care of things for him. She'd been given time to learn what she needed to while he'd been learning on the job. He'd never admit it but she was also a lot more sensible than he'd been at that age too; he trusted her.

'Thanks Hayley' He said honestly

She nodded 'I know she might not hear but wish her well for me would you?'

'Don't worry, I will' Jake replied

He only stopped long enough to phone Trixie and tell her what had happened before going back to Draco Island. As soon as he got to the Infirmary though and saw Wheylyn's face, he knew there was a problem.

'What's going on?' Jake asked

Wheylyn sighed 'While Shai was visiting her, he managed to gain access to her mind. But her thoughts were garbled and she was in great pain. I'm sure the knife wound and the poison was most prominent in your mind at the time but she has a head injury'

Jake groaned 'I can't believe I forgot, she slipped in the tunnel and hit her head'

'She's not just unconscious from the poison; she's in a coma. They're trying to determine how bad it is' Wheylyn said

Jake wobbled on his feet before sitting down. This was going from bad to worse; Wheylyn sat down next to him.

'I can't believe this' Jake said, his voice strained

'I know, I feel like I just found her and now I might lose her' Wheylyn said sadly

Jake nodded, it felt the same for him too.

'Is anyone with her?' Jake asked

'Yes, Emily is in there' Wheylyn replied

'Oh'

Wheylyn sideways glanced at him 'I spoke to her earlier. She told me she shouted at you yesterday and what she'd said'

Jake nodded, without looking up

'She said-'

Wheylyn cut himself off as Emily herself exited from the room. The young woman shut the door behind herself and then she looked over at them. Jake tensed. She walked over to them but sat down next to Jake. She took a shaky breath and looked at him.

'Listen, I'm sorry for what I said yesterday' Emily said quietly

Jake looked around at her in shock.

'I overreacted and I said things I shouldn't have. It's just that I guess that taking care of Selena the way I have has made me more maternal than sisterly over her'

Jake felt sympathy towards the young woman, she'd been flung into a situation she hadn't been expecting or was even ready for. It had obviously been too much for Emily to process rationally at the time.

'I truly am sorry, you were right though. I failed to protect her' Jake replied

Emily put her hand on his arm 'If that knife had hit you, you wouldn't be here right now. At least Selena has a fighting chance to recover, and she is a fighter. She won't go down easily. You can go and see her now'

Jake nodded and stood up. He took a deep breath before he went in, the beeping of the machinery was the first thing before the door fully opened and he could see Selena herself. The healer who Jake was now rather familiar with was in there. She looked up at him and gave him a small but sad smile.

'I'm really sorry, we've met quite a few times now and I don't even know your name' Jake said

She smiled 'It's Seefa'

'Seefa, thank you' Jake said

'There is no need for thanks, it's my job. But I must admit, I've grown to care for her. She's a very special girl'

Jake nodded 'She is'

Seefa smiled again 'I'll give you some privacy with her'

Jake nodded again and waited until the healer had left before sitting in the chair by his girlfriend. There was no change apart from the addition of a few sticky pads on each of Selena's temples, holding on sensors picking up her brain activity. The new monitor the wires were attached to was putting out information Jake couldn't understand.

The blood bag had been taken away and the cannula in Selena's hand had been removed. The back of her hand where it had been looked bruised and there was a very small scab, only the size of a pins head. Jake held her hand, trying not to look at her face. The breathing mask and the fact that her eyes had been taped shut made him not want to look up.

He'd never wanted so badly just to look in her eyes. To see the sparkle of mischief in the unique green hue. She seemed a shadow of herself looking at her now as her body tried to fight off the poison in her system and now the brain injury.

This also got him thinking, how badly would she be affected by this? He'd heard of brain trauma patients waking up to a personality shifts, not remembering things or even not being as able as they were previously. He knew he'd stand by her and help her as much as he could but Selena was he kind to push people away and try to deal with things on her own.

'Hey Lee?' Jake tried 'I don't know if you can hear me, but Hayley sends you her best wishes. She wanted you to know she's thinking of you'

Jake paused, wondering what else to say.

'I love you, you know. I promise that whatever happens I'll look after you and I'll make sure that this time Bayard and his lackeys pay for this, properly and that everyone involved will pay'

Jake managed to look up to see that there was still no change. He looked down again, feeling his eyes prickling. He couldn't allow himself to break down. As he sat there he lifted Selena's hand again and pressed his forehead to her fingers. He sat for a moment like that before feeling her fingers twitch. He looked up, staring hard at her fingers. He watched them for ages before deciding that he must've imagined it before her forefinger and index finger twitched as he watched.

He put her hand down gently before pressing the call button. Almost immediately Seefa and another healer came in, followed by Emily and Wheylyn.

'What's wrong?' Seefa asked

'Her fingers twitched, twice! I thought you should know' Jake said

He moved out of the way as the healers began to check her vitals quickly. Emily gripped his arm anxiously and Wheylyn had his hand on his shoulder. The other healer left the room with some notes and Seefa faced the concerned people.

'I don't want you to get your hopes up but Selena's brain activity is coming around and her latest blood analysis showed her bloodwork is back to normal and it's beginning to really fight off the venom'

'Why didn't you tell us this sooner?' Wheylyn asked

'Because she still has a long way to go and I didn't want you all to get your hopes up. But this is a very good sign and I do expect that with her kind's fast healing abilities, she may be waking up by the end of the week'

Emily, Wheylyn and Jake all looked at each other in happy disbelief. Seefa smiled as Emily broke away from the rest and went to Selena's side, stroking her hair affectionately from her face. Wheylyn went to the other side and clutched his daughter's hand.

Jake surveyed this scene before turning away. It was time he got to work trying to figure things out.

XxXxX

Pain. So much pain. As if corrosive acid was coursing my system. My head felt terrible, like it might actually pop. I couldn't figure anything out. Through the haze there was a presence. I could sense their good intentions, their concern for me as they tried to gain access to rational thought.

They were speaking but it was all garbled and jumbled and my brain swelled in confusion. They withdrew quickly and I was alone for some time. I was beginning to think there was no one else there but at least the pain was beginning to go away. It felt numbing and it was a relief.

Then there was another, someone warm. I could hear his voice, I think it was a man anyway. He was speaking to me, his words were kind and I could hear how much he cared about me. I couldn't make out what he was saying but there was some deep kind of affection in his voice and also I could tell he was in his own pain.

Was he in pain because I was here? Unable to respond to his kindness? I didn't want someone who cared about me to be hurt. I latched onto that thought, gaining a moment of sensation in a limb. I made it move; hoping to let this person know that I was really trying hard to get out wherever this dark place was that I was trapped in.

His presence left but it left behind a kind of glow. A determination to get out of this darkness. I kept a hold of that and began to concentrate on the feeling of corrosive acidity which was flowing around mercilessly. I wasn't going to let this defeat me and keep me forever in the dark.

**XxXxX**

_So guesses as to who the last POV was. Of course it was Selena. Anyway, review please, they always make my day! _


	11. Chapter 10 I Will Get What I Want

'No Jake, we can't allow it' Andam said gently

'I need information, we all need these people caught' Jake shot back

Ominar stepped forwards and put her hand on his shoulder 'We know this is difficult for you but because of the personal attachments, we cannot allow you to be involved with the investigation. You must step back and let us handle this'

Jake shook the woman's hand from his shoulder with his eyes narrowed 'Like you handled everything else?'

Ominar also narrowed her eyes 'The decisions we made we felt were best for our people'

'Our people? Someone was out to kill me! I'm one of yours, that decision almost cost me my life! It might still cost Selena hers. Apart from anything else it was the Lycanthropics that should've been considered the targets and that little decision could've harmed them!'

The councillors didn't reply at first. Kulde stepped forwards, Jake rolled his eyes.

'I don't need your imput, you trust Selena and her people the least' Jake snapped

Kulde shook his head 'I agree that we handled this badly, in terms of preserving the treaty. And Yes, we need information'

Jake looked around at him in surprise, his heart rising briefly.

'But you cannot be the one to interrogate William' Kulde finished

Jake slumped. He had to rethink, they clearly weren't going to work with him. He'd have to get his information elsewhere. He shook his head and turned his back to them, pausing in the doorway before he left.

'I will get what I need, even if you won't help me'

XxXxX

Trixie's heart beat was palpitating with worry and nerves, Spud was doing everything he could to try and calm his loved one but nothing could help her. He was surprised at how deeply this had affected her, he hadn't realised how attached to Selena Trixie had become. Then he realised he should've known, Selena was the first girl Trixie got on with without having to force it.

They were walking through the Infirmary of Draco Island. Trixe had said she wanted to at least see Selena in case the worst happened. Spud could understand despite the last image of Selena that Trixie would remember if she died would be a traumatic one.

When they found the right ward, in the waiting room they recognised Emily, she was sat with a man who had longish blonde hair and tan skin. Trixie realised with a slight skip of her heart that this must be Selena's father. Next to him sat a huge white wolf, Trixie frowned, this wasn't Snow. It was too big. Emily looked around and saw them and stood up.

'Trixie? Arthur? How did you get here?' She asked, almost jogging to greet them.

'We got hold of a transport spell as quickly as we could' Trixie replied

The two females hugged warmly before standing at arm's length, still holding onto one another.

'I'm so sorry, I should've called' Emily said guiltily

'That doesn't matter, I understand your priority must be to be here' Trixie replied 'How is she?'

Emily crumpled slightly 'They're hopeful that she can pull through this now. Her body has begun to regenerate its own bloodcells which means her healing abilities will be more potent. She had a brain injury though and it's that they're more worried about now I think. They took her and scanned her earlier but I've not heard any results yet'

Trixie nodded feeling slightly numb, she didn't know there had been a brain injury too 'Can I….can I see her?'

Emily nodded 'Yes! Yes, go ahead. It's that door there'

Trixie nodded and glanced around at Spud who gave her an encouraging nudge.

'I'll be right here' He said gently

Trixie nodded again and went inside the room. Emily guided Spud to the waiting room chairs. The unfamiliar man turned to him.

'Are you one of Selena's friends?' He asked

'Yeah, I'm Arthur but most call me Spud and the girl who just went in is Trixie' Spud said, holding out his hand to shake.

The man took it, his handshake was firm but not intimidatingly so 'I'm Selena's father, call me Wheylyn. I've heard about you both'

'Good things I hope' Spud replied

'I don't think it's in my daughter to say anything mean' Wheylyn said

Spud nodded, his thoughts drawn in concern back to Trixie.

Trixie had taken a seat in the chair placed right next to Selena. She was sat, staring at her friend with her hands clamped over her mouth to try and muffle the cries but tears ran down her face. She took a deep breath through her nose and finally brought her hands away.

'Come on girl! Pull it together' She urged herself.

She swiped her tears away even though her eyes were still watering and slowly reached out a trembling hand. She stroked a strand of hair off Selena' face and tried to smooth the hairs on the top of her head.

'You will make it through this Lee, you're such a strong person and a fighter. But I think I might appeal to your more immature side and say, don't you want to kick the butt of the guy who did this?'

Trixie continued to stroke the hair on the top of Selena's head. The bond she had with her wasn't one she wanted to lose. It was unusual for Trixie to crave the company of another girl, she was alright with just male company. She found girls annoying and giggly but Selena was different. Selena was just the right balance between girly and tomboyish.

'Please Lee, I don't want to lose you' Trixie whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.

It was as if Spud could sense her anguish, the door opened and closed softly a few moments later and she knew it was him. He knelt by her side and put his hand on the arm of the chair, the backs of his fingers stroking Trixie's upper arm comfortingly.

'I don't think she would want you to feel this way' He said gently

'How am I supposed to feel?' Trixie asked

'Hopeful, strong. You look like she's already died'

Trixie snapped her head to him 'Look at her! She already does look like she died'

Spud did look at her. Selena was very pale, her eyes looked shadowed and she looked thinner than he remembered. That wasn't very good, Selena hadn't had much on her before, very skinny already. The weight loss certainly hadn't helped. Spud looked back to Trixie who was also looking at Selena, her face was crumpled heavily though. He reached up and held her hand firmly, making her look at him again.

'Selena will not let this defeat her, we have to help her anyway we can'

'You want to help?'

Trixie and Spud jumped violently and looked up to see Jake stood in the doorway. Spud frowned, not feeling sure on who looked worse. Jake looked slightly haggard, he clearly hadn't shaved or slept properly in the time Selena had been there.

'Jake?' Trixie asked incredulously, clearly thinking along the same lines as him.

Jake's eyebrows were heavy set, his expression dark. It was slightly frightening actually. He told them about what had happened the night before, about the woman on the windowsill. He told them that the council had William detained but they wouldn't let him interrogate him.

'I need your help guys. I need to get to the bottom of this. I need to find out what they want with Selena so badly' Jake said 'And I need to make sure this won't happen to her again or she will never have any peace'

Trixie glanced at Selena before looking back up at Jake 'I'm in'

Spud stood up 'You know we're here for you buddy'

Jake's expression lit slightly 'This will be dangerous you know'

Trixie scoffed 'Please, like we've not been in danger before'

'Dude, we were in your dragon business when we were thirteen year olds'

Jake managed to crack a smile 'I knew you wouldn't let me down'

His gaze turned to Selena and Trixie sniffled, wiped off her eyes and stood up, moving aside for Jake to see Selena. Jake moved into the gap she'd created and lent down, pressing a brief kiss to her forehead. Then he straightened up sharply.

'I'll just be outside' He told them

Trixie watched him go 'We should really have left him to have a moment alone with her'

'I'm sure he's had enough privacy with her. I don't think he could handle sitting in here with her. It's not a good atmosphere' Spud replied

Trixie looked down 'I don't think I'll be much good either, I need to do something to distract myself. This is the perfect thing, it'll be like old times'

Spud nodded 'Come on, let's get going'

He patted the top of Selena' head gently, just like he always did. Trixie smoothed the disturbed hairs back down.

'Just you keep on fighting Selena. Hopefully when you wake up we'll have sorted this'

The three teenagers left, stopping long enough for Trixie to be introduced to Wheylyn and for Jake to have a brief word with Emily, making her promise to phone him with regular updates. They were almost out of the infirmary, just about to use a transport spell when I loud calling stopped them.

'Kids, hey kids! WAIT!'

They turned to see Fu Dog running to them, Jake frowned.

'Fu?'

'Gramps is about to speak with William'

'What? I thought they said-'

'They think he's the right mix between personal and impersonal for this. Come on, they said you could watch' Fu urged

Jake handed the spell to Trixie 'Head back and see if you can locate Rose, we need to find out where she and that partner of hers fit into this'

'Okay, come back straight away though' Trixie nodded.

XxXxX

It was getting a bit clearer to focus now, it was to the point that I couldn't figure out how I had got into this dark place. The pain was less, it wasn't overwhelming at least. I just wanted to figure out where I was, how I had gotten there and how I would get out.

I could hear voices now too, instead of just sensing presences. There were regular visitors to me in this dark place. One I recognized, it was a female voice and I was sure it was Emily. I would struggle the hardest while she was there, I couldn't bare the sorrow in her voice, couldn't bare it that she cried so hard when she was nearby and what tore at me the most was how she pleaded with me.

Then there were two males, they were both unfamiliar or I couldn't recognise them at least. They both spoke with affection and love. I wanted to know who they were and why they were even speaking to me, at least why they both seemed to love me so much.

'Wake up' were the most common words. I couldn't understand what they meant. I was awake right? I could at least hear them, but why couldn't I just open my eyes or get anything to move, just to let them know I was listening and trying.

Then after a huge amount of struggling I would go unaware for a while, not hear anything. I'd fall into slumber. Then wake up to the repetitive cycle of trying to figure out what Emily and those two guys meant.

XxXxX

_So it seems my family has been struck with misfortune at the moment. My Granddad has gotten through two surgeries and now has one left but now my Grandma, his wife, has been diagnosed with skin cancer. _

_As you may imagine it's been a difficult time, I was in the room with my Grandma when they told her their diagnosis and I don't think I'll ever forget the expression on her face. _

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this update and please be patient with me. The updates may be erratic and I will be writing when I find the time. Please review and I hope that all your lives are happy and healthy! _


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